Emery Aders is a sociable, happy 7-year-old. He also has a nervous disorder which has left him unable to walk.
On Saturday, June 13, Emery got a present from the Make-A-Wish Foundation: a new wheelchair. But, this isn't just any wheelchair. Emery's chair was built by the Orem-based company Extreme Motus and is designed to go where most wheelchairs can't. Emery's new off-road chair can go anywhere; it even floats in water.
The day started with a parade. Emery got to ride down Winchester street in Murray right behind a firetruck. Family and friends lined the street to cheer him on. Once Emery and his family arrived at Make-A-Wish, they were presented with the new chair. Lizzie Aders, Emery's mother, said she was surprised by how many people came, and that the whole thing was a lot more than she expected. She said she's just excited for the new opportunities that this will provide for Emery.
Emery's parents and his three younger siblings took him around in his new chair to greet everyone who had come to support him. Ryan Grassley, the representative from Extreme Motus who brought the new chair, said the wheelchair isn't just a gift for Emery but for his whole family.
'It's pretty cool to see what it does for an entire family,' Grassley said, 'It opens up a very large percentage of planet earth that they did not have access to before.'
According to Make-A-Wish employee Courtney Lyons, this is one of the first big wishes that the company has been able to grant since the coronavirus pandemic hit, and she said they're excited to keep moving forward.