Teenager saves his paychecks for 2 years to buy friend electric wheelchair


For two years, high school senior Tanner Wilson set aside the money he earned from his job at an auto repair shop until finally he had enough to buy something he'd had his eye on.
It wasn't a video game system, a bike, or a smartphone: Wilson wanted to purchase an electric wheelchair for his longtime friend Brandon Qualls. The teens attend Caddo Hills High School in Norman, Arkansas, and for years, Qualls used a hand-push wheelchair, which made his arms tired.
Wilson told CNN he decided to surprise his buddy with an electric wheelchair because "he's just been a really good friend and I wanted to do him a favor. I just felt like I needed to do it."
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When Wilson showed up at school with the new electric wheelchair, Qualls couldn't believe it. "It's been my dream to just have one of these," he told News9. "And my dream came true." Catherine Garcia
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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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