Simone Biles Surprises Suni Lee’s Dad With Custom Wheelchair
The seven-time Olympic medalist teamed up with “Today” to surprise Suni Lee’s dad with an electric wheelchair so that he will not have to rely on family members to be mobile.
While helping a friend with yard work in 2019, John Lee fell off a ladder and suffered a spinal cord injury that left him partially paralyzed. He has been wheelchair-bound since and has to rely on friends and family members to get around.
The accident happened just two days before Suni was set to compete at the U.S. Championships. She considered skipping the competition, but her father insisted she compete. “You worked so hard for it, just go,” said the proud father.
In a segment on the “Today” Show, John watched a video message from Biles in which the superstar said, “I love your daughter, Suni, so much” and explained that “you have done so much for her, so I reached out to my friends at the ‘Today’ show to see if we could do something special for you.”
Then, the show’s west coast anchor Natalie Morales, who interviewed John at his home in Minnesota, led him outside where a brand-new electric wheelchair was waiting for him.
“Now they don’t have to keep pushing me around,” said John. “ … Well this is amazing. Thank you, guys.” John is thankful to be ditching the manual wheelchair — his new ride will be custom-fitted and provide much more comfort.
This is not John and Biles’ first time exchanging sentiments. After Suni’s Olympic victory, he told Biles on “Today,” “I want to tell Simone that she truly is the GOAT because she let my baby girl bring me a gold medal.”
Image source: Yahoo
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