ST. LANDRY PARISH (OPELOUSAS) — After an Opelousas man lost his own chair on his way home from Lafayette, he was reunited with his lost wheelchair and belongings and was gifted a separate, brand-new chair. Thaddeus Sam was driving on Saturday when the tailgate of his truck fell off, causing his wheelchair and his backpack containing his ID and important cards to fall out.

“Tim McGraw said men shouldn’t cry,” said Thaddeus’ father Elton, “but Tim, I think I need to shed a tear right now.”

“I’m so lucky to have this and bring it back to him,” said John Granger, who rescued Thaddeus’ belongings. “Unbelievable!”

The search for the missing items came to a heartening conclusion when scrap metal worker Granger found Thaddeus’ wheelchair northbound on I-49. “I found the wheelchair on my way to Sunset, brought it home and saw it on Facebook and the next thing you know someone had lost it and now I’m returning it.”

But Granger didn’t stop there. He also found Thaddeus’ bag containing his ID, money and cards where he found the wheelchair.

Describing an earlier conversation with Granger, Elton said: “And I said, ‘Wait a minute, where do you come from?’ “I thought,” he said. “’I come from Broussard,’ he said. ‘From Broussard?’ I said. “Well, if you tell me where it is…’ He said, ‘No… if I lift the chair, I know where the bag is, so I’ll go see it.'”

After the return trip, Granger found the bag intact. “It’s all in there,” he said with a smile, also commenting on the “negative feedback” he received on social media. “It’s like people think I’m going to steal him or throw away the wheelchair… but the important thing is that he gets back to the man he needs.”

Granger wasn’t the only one keeping an eye on Sam.

Chanel Knotts heard Thaddeus’ story and wanted to get in touch. “I was in a car accident a long time ago. I’ve had problems ever since; this time they found a mass in my spine, they moved it in and out, and when I woke up I couldn’t feel my legs.”

Having almost fully recovered, Knotts decided to donate his purple wheelchair to Thaddeus.

Knott hopes his movement will raise awareness of the challenges faced by individuals with disabilities. “They’re not different, they’re not,” he said. “So their life is a little harder. This is life changing.”

Granger and Knotts plan to meet Thaddeus soon.