A grand day is dedicated to ‘Wheels’
Nathan Wheeler is surrounded by family and close friends during the recent softball benefit held at Killbuck Park on Saturday, June 6. Wheeler said he felt the love from everywhere as people poured into the park to show their support and commitment to helping him raise funds.
This past Nov. 15, Nathan Wheeler’s life changed forever because of a hunting accident that left him paralyzed.
His wife Meggan and her close-knit family have had to make many changes to the household and to their lifestyle to make it wheelchair accessible. Along with those expenses has come many medical expenses and a wheelchair-accessible vehicle.
It has not been an easy time, but Wheeler’s undying love for life, for his family and to serve as an inspiration to all he meets continues to carry him and those close to him through this time.
On Saturday, July 6 at Killbuck Park, Wheeler experienced just how much love, compassion and commitment to serving others can lift someone’s spirit and provide inspiration.
The day centered around a softball benefit, with plenty of food, a silent auction and more.
“This is really touching,” Wheeler said. “I didn’t think this many people cared. The way this community has come together is inspiring, and I almost feel like it’s something that I don’t deserve. This is extremely rewarding.”
He said the support he has experienced has been critical to his mental health, and watching the way his family and friends have helped him work through the process of recovery and beginning a new way of life has been nothing short of a miracle to him.
He said the common thread of people helping people in Holmes County continues to be something everyone can be proud of.
“We’ve got to come together. No one person is greater than anyone else,” Wheeler said. “Everyone needs help at some time or another. We just have to find the way and time to do it, and this community does it so well.”
He said since his accident, he has found the true value of family, from his wife Meggan to her entire family, all of whom live fairly close near Killbuck.
“I thought we were close before, but now it’s on a whole new level,” Wheeler said. “I can feel so much love. I knew it was there, but now it’s embedded in my heart and it’s special.”
He also said his motto is “don’t let the hard days win,” and turning this entire time in his life into a positive that can help others who may be struggling in life is important to him.
Not only does Wheeler have the love of his family, but also he has experienced plenty more coming from his friends and co-workers from his former place of employment at London Correctional Institute, where he worked for many years prior to moving to Killbuck.
Many of them took the time to attend the benefit including his longtime friend and mentor Dan Savage.
The two became very close at LCI, and Savage said distance will never change the way he feels about his friend, whom he lovingly referred to as Wheels, a name Wheeler had even prior to the incident.
“We’ve got to take care of one another in good times and bad times,” Savage said. “This was a life-changing event, and myself and many other friends have been right by his side since that first night in the hospital.”
He said building special relationships can change people’s lives, and he said encouraging one another should always be in everyone’s hearts.
He also said he knows this journey for Wheeler has just begun, and his friend will continue to do some amazing things.
“He’s got such a great attitude,” Savage said. “We appreciate what this community has done and continues to do for Wheels and the whole family. It’s heartwarming to see.”
Wheeler’s father-in-law Brian Spencer was instrumental in setting up the event, taking care of many of the laborious details.
He said it was not difficult to get many others involved, saying he was inspired every time someone volunteered something or donated to the cause.
“These people around here have been an incredible blessing to Nathan and our family,” Spencer said. “Holmes County is the best place a person could ever live because there’s nowhere like it where people come together this much.”
One of those people was Curtis Yoder, who put together the softball tournament.
Yoder said he was honored to do so, and he was far from the only one to dig deep.
“This community comes together in times of need. That’s just what we do,” Yoder said. “We’re all here having a blast playing softball, but it’s so much more than that. The Spencers are like family to me, and I know a lot of other people feel the same.”
The softball tournament, the silent auction, the food and the many donations will go a long way in providing financial support to Wheeler and the family.
The spirit in which it was given may just go a lot further.
Anyone wishing to contribute financially to the cause may do so through any area Killbuck Savings Bank by donating to the Nathan Wheeler Benefit.