Dallas child receives Godzilla-themed wheelchair costume

DALLAS - A five-year-old child with muscular dystrophy won a social media sweepstakes for a custom Godzilla-themed wheelchair costume.

Child wins custom Godzilla wheelchair

The backstory:

Micah lives with LAMA2-related muscular dystrophy which is a rare genetic muscle disease. This can affect movement throughout the body, strength, breathing, and the nervous system. This affects an estimated 8 out of every million people worldwide.

Micah’s father, Jacob Thomas, saw the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) and Magic Wheelchair’s Sweepstakes on social media, encouraging people to enter.

Magic Wheelchair is a nonprofit that builds costumes for kids and young adults in wheelchairs, cost-free for families. They have helped nearly 300 families by supporting the creation of these wheelchairs.

Thomas entered on Micah’s behalf, and for four days, he made sure to comment and eventually was notified that Micah had won.

Micah wanted his wheelchair to be Godzilla-themed. Inspired by his imagination and implementing hidden "easter eggs," Magic Wheelchair and master builder Stefan Price created the costume.

The wheelchair features glowing green eyes and a retractable version of Godzilla's famous atomic breath.

Micah

The costume was revealed to Micah at an event at the Dallas Fire-Rescue that his father and siblings attended on his behalf. The event also celebrated Micah’s fifth birthday, MDA’s 75th anniversary, and MDA’s 70+ years of partnership with the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF).

What they're saying:

"Throughout this journey we have come to find that light really does surround us," Thomas said. "It’s just amazing to see that love from people we didn’t know a few weeks ago, a few months ago, who have become a part of the family."

"How cool is it for a kid to get [this gift]. His powerchair is his independence and he gets to deck it out the way he wants," he said at the event.

What's next:

Micah’s family said they are looking forward to kicking off their annual muscle-walking campaign in collaboration with MDA, which usually starts around his birthday. Their goal is to raise $10,000 towards accelerating research and advancing care.

Muscular Dystrophy Association

Dig deeper:

MDA is a 75-year-old organization that works to fight against neuromuscular diseases, such as muscular dystrophy and ALS. MDA supports more than 20000 people across Texas, Micah being one of them. He has visited both MDA Care Centers and MDA Summer Camp.

The IAFF Local 58 is one of the nation’s top fundraisers for MDA through their Fill the Boot campaign. Firefighters collect donations in their boots to raise money for research and care for people with neuromuscular diseases. They have raised over $700 million and led to scientific breakthroughs. MDA’s funding of research has led to more than 25 new FDA approved treatments in the last 20 years.