Quadriplegic teen gets special birthday parade during quarantine
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Woodstock, GA (WGCL) — A Cherokee County teenager, who’s lucky to even be here to celebrate his 16th birthday, had a parade for his special day.
Despite his medical issues and a pandemic – friends and family made his May birthday a memorable one.
“I didn’t know it was going to be as big as it was,” said Aiden Hulsey.
Dozens of people showed up to celebrate Aiden Hulsey’s 16th birthday.
“It meant a lot,” Aiden said.
Last June, Hulsey became paralyzed from the neck down after a bicycle accident while playing with his friends at the park.
“He is classified as a quadriplegic, the only movement he has is from his chest up,”, said Jennifer Hulsey, Aiden’s Mom, “Life has changed, a lot.”
“I was a lacrosse player, and I liked baseball, and I was always active, I was never sitting at home,” added Aiden.
But these days look a little different, especially since Hulsey has to be extra careful given the coronavirus.
“You never thought being in a situation like this would affect everything, it doesn’t just affect your outer body, it affects all the muscle in your stomach and your bladder and all that,” Aiden added.
“We haven’t let anybody around him, because of his airways, and just how quickly he can catch anything because his immune system is shut down,” Jennifer said.
He’s had a tough year, so his family wanted to celebrate this big birthday while social distancing.
“It’s 16, that’s a big, momentous birthday,” said Jennifer.
“He’s used to having a house full of people all the time, because his friends always were over every day coming to visit, so that’s been different,” said Amanda Harrill, Aiden’s Aunt.
So, car after car lined the street and honked and cheered as they drove by.
“It was a pretty rowdy crowd,” joked Aiden.
“With the quarantine going on, and his open airways, he does still have his trach right now, so I did not want people around him, and it’s just a special day, and I think he deserves to be celebrated,” his mom added.
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