Lisbon child gets wheelchair ramp for Christmas

LISBON, Ohio - Just in time for Christmas, volunteers present a special gift for a wheelchair bound child in Lisbon.

Ten-year-old Colby Baker watched intently as volunteers worked to construct an access ramp to his home on Sherman Street.

When he was just five-years-old, Colby suffered serious spinal cord injuries when he was run over by a truck while trick-or-treating on Halloween.

The idea for the ramp came from Teresa Bosel because of what she saw each day as she passed the Baker's house after school.  "I would watch Tyler,  his older brother, pull him up the steps everyday after school," Bosel said.

Angie Baker says Tyler never complains, but says the ramp will be like a gift for him as well. Tyler agrees.  "I just have to pull him up and he gets to heavy for me to pull him up", said 11-year-old Tyler Baker. 

When Cobly's dad Shawn lost his job the medical bills became overwhelming, but Bosel says they pulled together as a family.

"Angie and I were talking and she said she had $3 in her pocket and $8 in her checking account, Bosel said. 

The Baker's, who just moved here in July, say this is such a generous gift from caring people.  "You know, nobody knows us, but they still care enough to help us out like this it's wonderful," Angie said.

All the materials were donated, and the ramp was constructed by students at the Columbiana County Career & Technical Center.  Their instructor, Chance Bricker, said when the students heard Colby's story, they became very engaged in the project.

"A lot of kids these days don't want to get involved, but my kids jumped right into it and I was very proud of them," Bricker said.

A special fund for Colby is now available at Huntington Bank in Lisbon.