GALVESTON, Texas – Just days after a boy lost his prosthetic leg in the Gulf of Mexico while on family vacation on Galveston, the community has raised enough money to help buy him a replacement.
Jayce Swindall, 9, was visiting the beach town with his family from Waco, Texas earlier this week.
Early Monday morning, they headed out for the sand. When Jayce saw the waves, he did what just about any other nine-year-old would do: he took off for the water.
“I like swimming,” Jayce told KPRC 2′s Gage Goulding.
“He just kind of dove into the first wave he saw,” added Jayce’s father, Ken Swindall. “He ran out there when he saw those waves, and I didn’t get a chance to take his leg off. I was just happy to see him having a good time, and I wasn’t really thinking about it.”
That’s when a rogue wave hit Jayce, knocking off his prosthetic leg.
“It was two parts,” added his stepmother Val. “One rolled up his leg and then the actual foot with the leg clicked into that, and we had never had an issue with it falling off or anything.”
Immediately, the whole family started searching. They looked in the water, on the sand and everywhere in between.
It wasn’t too long after that lifeguards, beach patrol land even other families joined in the effort.
“I mean, everybody it was a valiant effort on everyone’s part. But the sea won that day,” Val said.
Jayce’s new prosthetic leg was gone. This was a big blow to the family, who loves the beach. After all, it is their happy place, especially for Jayce.
“When it happened, man, it really it was like a ton of bricks,” Ken said.
They didn’t let this ruin the family vacation. Instead, they kept having fun.
In the meantime, they posted to Facebook just in case someone spotted Jayce’s prosthetic leg.
It’s then that they found it—the good in people.
Hundreds of people commented on the post offering their support and reaching into their own pockets to help pay for a replacement prosthetic for Jayce.
Within a few days, the $7,000 prosthetic was paid in full by complete strangers who just wanted to help.
“You hear so much bad stuff in the world today, and that’s what I’ve told my husband. If you don’t believe in God before this, here’s yours on like, this was a godsend,” Val said.
The good people from Galveston helping a family more than 200 miles away.
Helping a kid, a regular ole kid, get back on his two feet.
Gage: “Jayce, is there anything you want to say to all the people who helped make this happen?”
Jayce: “Thank you.”