VIRGINIA BEACH, Va – On Monday, a group of 20 quadriplegics and paraplegics in wheelchairs battled head-to-head on the paintball field to spread a great message.
You can’t hesitate during paintball but don’t tell this group ‘you can’t’ or you might just end up with paint on your shirt.
“I’m going to tie a string to my mask to the trigger and drive around with my wheelchair kind of like terminator style but you know what, where there is a will there is a way and I am going to get out there and battle with my friends,” Josh Basile said.
Basile became a person with quadriplegia at the age of 18 after an accident at the beach but he hasn’t let that stop him from living life, he’s just living it a different way.
“After your injury the world is so scary because it is so different you don’t know what’s possible but when you see somebody else doing it you kind of kick yourself like I can do it too,” Basile said.
After being awarded a grant to ensure no family had to foot the bill for a weekend of fun, Basile contacted Fox Brothers Paintball Park.
“If we need to make special ways for them to play, we need better access to the field, I had some handicap port-a-potties dropped off. Just everything that they need. We want them to feel comfortable and have fun out here today,” Rob beyer said.
One of the modifications made was to attach a remote line between the paintball gun and the paintball tank. This way anyone in a wheelchair could have a bag on the back where they can drop the paintball tank and then they are free to fire away while playing.
The partnership shows some good in the world and that there is nothing you can’t do if you just try.
Click here to learn more about Fox Brothers Paintball Park.
by Brheanna Berry, WTKR
