“My husband is a retired Army Veteran. He served his country for 22 1/2 years. In February 2016 he was diagnosed with ALS.
Our oldest son just graduated from Airforce Basic Training last week in San Antonio, Texas. We live 8 hours away and drove up for the graduation ceremonies.
The night we arrived (graduation events strarted at 8 am the next morning) before graduation the breathing machine that my husband is dependent on, stopped working. My husband ended up in the ER. The Doctors told my husband that without a new breathing machine (called a trilogy) he should not leave the hospital. It would be fatal if he decided to check out and leave.
We were going to miss the ceremony. We both sobbed all night long. We were completely devestated. It was the middle of the night and there was no one available to deliver a new machine.
We had been making calls and sending emails all night long to different people to see who could get a new machine to us.
At 9:15 am a respiratory therapist walked into our room with a new machine. We checked out of the hospital at 9:46 am and raced over to the military base. We made it in time for the 10 am ceremony by the grace of God.
My husband wanted to get out of his power wheelchair and walk over to our son who has to stand at attention until someone comes to tap him out.
It was the most beautiful and memorable event I’ve ever witnessed in my life and I will never forget it as long as I live.
We have many people to thank, it was their prayers and hard work that got us through that night and got us to the ceremony in time.
From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you!”
-Frankie and Christy Sanchez