There's stomach relief now, more blood circulation and, a lot of people forget this, but there's also a great benefit of seeing people eye to eye,
- Drew Keith
When Hedweld employees saw the joy their workmate Drew Keith showcased when trialing a Tek RMD (Robotic Mobilisation Device) earlier this year, they created a mission.
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To grant the highly-valued long term staff member at Hedweld Advanced Manufacturing Innovations company a permanent reason to smile.
A 'Help Drew Stand up!' GoFundMe page was set up by Drew Keith's loving family and colleagues with hopes to raise money to purchase a mobility device that would allow him to stand up after becoming a paraplegic in 2002.
"It was a weird sensation because I had to learn how to start breathing while standing up again," Keith recalled to the Singleton Argus.
"And we didn't realise how tall he was," Sandy Thomas (Hedweld Marketing Manager) playfully added.
His family, friends and colleagues set the target goal of $31,000 to purchase the device permanently.
The fundraising kicked off with a memorable event at the Bulga Tavern called 'Drew's Day' on April 6 this year. Fast forward to July and the 35-year-old's spirits have been lifted after making the purchase with the raised funds.
"There's stomach relief now, more blood circulation and, a lot of people forget this, but there's also a great benefit of seeing people eye to eye," he explained.
However there could have been a further delay as his colleague explained.
"It (the RMD) nearly fell over at the finish line when the truck broke down on the road down on Putty Road," Thomas recalled.
"We weren't going to wait another couple of weeks for another one so we sent a ute straight away."
"But now that its arrived we wanted to let people know that their hard work has paid off."
"While he's elevated physically we've noted how happy he's been as a result."
Sponsors included: Hedweld Group of Companies, Hunter Valley Off Road Racing Assoication, Oatley Family, Keith Family, Hedley Family, David Komacha, Sowter Transport, David Keech, Gemma Lennon and Denman Lion's Club.
