Car crash victim goes from paralyzation to mobility thanks to Alpharetta nonprofit

A horrible car accident left a Tucker construction worker paralyzed from the waist down.

Doctors told the 19-year-old he would never walk again.

However, the man, who is now 25, says all of that changed, when he got a wheelchair from a non-profit organization called Wheels of Happiness.

The medical prognosis was not good for 19-year-old Jose Arreguin.

A horrific traffic accident left the big brother of four in a wheelchair and his mom had to do everything for him. He remembers the crash like it was yesterday.

"The guy driving... I don’t know, he just lost control, and we started flipping, five times in the air," Jose Arreguin recalled.

"I remember thinking I felt numb and I remember thinking. I’m probably paralyzed," the construction worker said.

Jose was right. He became a quadriplegic at just 19. He says he had no medical insurance, had surgery, and eventually went into a coma.

"They put a tube in my throat. I couldn’t eat anymore. One of my lungs had collapsed. I caught pneumonia. I was in an infused coma for two or three weeks," Jose reflected.

However, Jose was determined to recover. His mom saw an article in the paper about Wheels of Happiness. It is a nonprofit that helps patients with spinal cord injuries in The US, Africa, and Latin America.

Jose began to rehab and work out, wanting to regain his mobility.

He says the lightweight wheelchair Wheels of Happiness gave him dramatically changed his life, despite the doctors saying he would never walk again.

"The one I had was really...I couldn’t grab the handles, so I couldn’t get around and this one I can go anywhere by myself," the Tucker resident said with a smile on his face.

Jose is determined to walk again. He says he first needs to find a viable job and is hopeful that he will one day have a wife and family.