Tim Smith is a senior at Trinity College who was born without legs. Despite being born with a disability, Smith’s determination and perseverance have allowed him to lead a relatively normal life. And by normal we mean above and beyond what the average person accomplishes; Tim has tackled the Andes Mountains twice among other seemingly impossible challenges.
Until Gavin Floyd and his wife Leann came along, Smith was slowed down a bit. He was in need of new prosthetic legs because his old ones having been held together by duct tape and oil. Despite being able to raise $10,000 toward the purchase of new legs, Tim found himself a whopping $21,000 short of the $31,000 he needed to buy a new pair — a purchase he would have to make without the help of insurance.
The Floyds wrote Smith a check for $21,000 that allowed him to purchase the new prosthetic legs. The prosthetic legs were designed by a doctor to keep up with his astonishing lifestyle.
“I wish somebody was around to capture my emotions on camera, because I was ecstatic, I was in tears,” Smith said when asked about the Floyds’ donation, according to the Tampa Tribune. “I was so in love with God at that moment … it just blew my heart away.”
Here is a video that tells Smith’s story, including the first meeting between he and the Floyds:
“We talked about it, prayed about it, and just felt led to do it,” Floyd said. “To know what he’s achieved in his life really moved us.”
Like the quadruple amputee who climbed Mount Kilamnajaro and the record-setting archer who has no arms, people like Tim Smith remind us that we should probably complain less in life. Three cheers for random acts of kindness. Bravo, Floyd family.
Fist pound to Big League Stew for passing along the story.
