5/5 TheFPSChannel 11 months ago on Google
My
brother,
Steven,
was
born
learning-disabled.
He
always
had
a
passion
for
planes
and
space
ships
but
his
disability
was
a
guaranteed
dream-killer.
Nevertheless
our
family
supported
his
love
of
all
things
flying
by
way
of
birthday
presents
books,
magazines,
movies,
t-shirts,
etc.
For
my
wedding
I
presented
him
with
a
flight
on
a
private
plane,
cheek-to-cheek
with
a
pilot
willing
to
take
him
up
and
"show
him
around".
Despite
him
being
my
best
man,
I'm
pretty
sure
THAT
was
the
best
day
of
his
life.
Tragedy
on
top
of
tragedy
happened
in
2018
when,
due
to
a
high
fever
caused
by
pneumonia,
Steve
lost
the
ability
to
walk
and
properly
talk.
Today
he's
confined
to
a
wheelchair
and
lives
in
a
permanent
care
facility
in
Markham.
(Thank
you
universal
health
care.)
Every
time
I
come
to
visit
Ontario
I
try
to
prearrange
for
activities
he'd
like
to
do.
CN
Tower
is
a
favourite
as
it
has
terrific
wheelchair
access
and
he
can
sit
up
high
above
Billy
Bishop
airport
and
watch
the
planes
come
and
go.
Last
week
we
sat
on
the
main
observation
deck,
ate
fish
&
chips
and
watched
helicopters
circle
the
tower.
Steve
pointed
to
the
helicopter
and
slurred,
"Do
you
think
we
can
go
on
there?"
"What‽
Are
you
crazy?",
I
smiled.
I
had
already
prearranged
it
just
hours
from
lunchtime.
When
it
comes
to
my
brother
I
try
to
not
let
barriers
get
in
the
way
of
something
he
might
enjoy.
So
I
didn't
tell
anyone
I
was
planning
on
a
helicopter
ride
for
one
of
our
days
together
because,
indeed,
it's
a
bit
crazy.
Getting
an
invalid
into
a
helicopter
was
going
to
be
tricky.
Naturally
he'd
be
super
excited.
But
the
concern
I
had
wasn't
a
fear
of
flying,
it
was
getting
Steve
to
stand
up.
He
has
a
deep
fear
of
falling.
Honestly,
I
just
had
to
roll
the
dice
it
would
work
out.
When
I
contacted
Heli-tours
the
week
before
they
were
all
thumbs
up
with
the
same
attitude
I
had
-
we'll
figure
it
out
somehow.
And
so,
just
minutes
before
his
flight,
we
arrived
and
he
was
told
for
the
first
time
he
was
going
for
a
ride.
Wheelchair
access
made
it
a
breeze
to
get
inside
the
reception
area.
All
the
staff
greeted
us
with
big
smiles.
(What
an
enthusiastic
team
of
young,
eager
people!
)They
treated
my
brother
like
a
celebrity,
making
his
day
even
more
special.
Steve
watched
the
safety
demo.
They
made
sure
he
was
comfortable
and
asked
him
questions
directly.
When
the
time
came
to
board
they
laid
out
a
special
route
for
us
to
take.
First
the
photo
by
the
helicopter
(two
high
thumbs
up
from
Steve).
We
parked
the
chair
as
close
as
possible
to
the
helicopter.
First
attempt
to
stand
was
a
fail.
Second
attempt,
fail.
He
was
starting
to
freak
out
and
yell
loudly.
I
had
to
assure
the
staff
that
his
yelling
should
be
ignored
as
he
barks
loudly
when
he
panics.
But
he
wasn't
in
pain.
Third
attempt
I
simply
shoved
him
into
the
back
face-first
and
his
legs
were
sticking
out
of
the
helicopter.
It
may
have
looked
ridiculous,
but
at
this
point
I
knew
it
would
work.
A
quick
twist
of
Steve
onto
his
back
and
he
was
able
to
pull
himself
upright.
Bingo!
And
after
a
quick
adjustment
of
headphones
we
were
airborne.
For
me,
the
view
of
the
city
was
completely
obscured
by
Steve's
wide
smile.
He
had
a
new
"best
day
ever".
The
pilot
gave
us
the
full-meal-deal
tour
around
the
city
will
gorgeous
views
of
parks,
rivers
and
buildings...including
the
CN
Tower
windows
were
were
eating
at
just
an
hour
earlier.
Steve
was
transfixed
and
literally
loved
every
second;
barely
speaking
at
all
(a
rarity
for
him).
After
a
gentle
landing,
Steve
simply
told
the
Pilot
"Let's
go
again!"
"Maybe
next
time,
buddy",
I
said.
None
of
this
would
have
happened
without
the
terrific
team
at
Toronto
Heli-Tours.
Thank
you
all
so
very
much.
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