His confidence as a man was crushed the day Nelson Garcia broke his spine from a heavy fall four years ago. He was only 36 years old then, with a nice wife and 2 kids.

As construction worker, he was determined to provide a better future for his family. He worked hard and he worked well.

But one day, while working at a construction site 3 meters above the ground, he took a misstep and fell to the ground. His spine cracked and he couldn’t move. They rushed him to the hospital where he was eventually fitted with a metal brace.

“It was my first time to have an accident and my first time in a hospital. I was depressed,” he says.

Losing his capacity as the provider of the family, his wife took the lead. She employed herself as a house help in another town while Nelson stayed at home and watched over the kids. His lower limbs have atrophied as he only moved around with a wheelchair given to him. He was miserable and felt useless as a man.

“I was angry at God, I questioned him,” Nelson says.

Sadness and frustration fluctuated in his life, as his wheelchair started bearing the brunt of daily wear-and-tear. But he was given new hope when he found out about Operation Blessing’s free wheelchair distribution in their village in Cavite, south of the Philippine capital Manila.

Along with cerebral palsy patients, stroke victims, an amputee, and other persons with disabilities, Nelson happily received a brand new wheelchair through OB. The wheelchairs were given courtesy of the Free Wheelchair Mission and the Adventist Development Relief Agency.

“I am so grateful. Thank you for the help,” he says.

With this gift of mobility, the restoration of Nelson’s confidence and self-esteem is not far behind.