In 2005, Chattanooga teenager Jordan Thomas lost both his legs in a boating accident in Florida. Since that time, he launched the Jordan Thomas Foundation which has raised more than $400,000 to help purchase prosthetic limbs for young people who couldn't otherwise afford them.
CNN selected Thomas as one of its top ten heroes of 2009, and the public is invited to vote between now and 6:00 a.m. on November 19 to select the 2009 CNN Hero of the Year.
A celebratory rally is being held for Thomas at the Hunter Museum on Friday at 11:30 a.m.
John Hawbaker
chrislong on Nov. 5, 2009
How awesome for a teenager, who has suffered such tragedy in his own life, to turn it around and "pay it forward", if you will, to others who have faced the same sort of trauma, physically, mentally, emotionally, and financially.
This is a true hero and a young man who understands and expresses true love and compassion, not with mere words of sympathy, but with action that speaks louder than any words.
What if we all were to have the courage to put ourselves out there to make a difference in a life or many lives, as this young man has done?
I salute you Jordan Thomas!