A Brother Knight in Need

A Brother Knight in Need

A couple of weeks ago on Monday, May 6th, I received a text message from Brother Knight David Dybala, advising me that a brother in our council was in need of a wheelchair so that he would have an easier time getting to and from Mass at Holy Spirit. Mrs. Elsa Estrellas had contacted David on behalf of her husband Brother Knight Reynaldo Estrellas, and asked David if he could help her acquire a wheelchair. Rey Estrellas is suffering from an aggressive type of cancer, and while it has taken a toll on his body recently, his heart and spirit remain devoted to his Catholic faith and our parish.

It was about 12:20 PM, lunchtime on an ordinary Monday and I was able to immediately pass an email request with contact details to SK Bill Weber, the Wheelchair Missions Director for the Dallas Diocese Chapter, who incidentally leads the most successful service program we have in North Texas in the Knights of Columbus. In his usual modus operandi, Bill responded immediately to the request and within a couple of hours had contacted Elsa and made arrangements to come over from Plano to personally deliver the wheelchair to Rey and Elsa Estrellas at their home in Duncanville, for FREE. A little over two hours had elapsed from the initial email request, and finally at 2:43 PM SK Bill Weber emailed me the picture you see below.

Needless to say the Estrellas were amazed and grateful at the same time, after receiving the gift of mobility in such an unexpected and quick manner. “Rey and Elsa are very deserving members of our parish who have always shared what they have with others…” said David Dybala. On behalf of our council we extend our gratitude to Sir Knight Bill Weber and the American Wheelchair Mission. But most of all we ask that we all keep the Estrellas family in our thoughts and prayers as they go through this difficult time in their lives.

I have seen Bill Weber do this countless times now, they always start with a random phone call to me or an email request, but this one response is among the top three fastest ever.

If you know of anyone who needs a wheelchair, please let us know. Our Brother Bill is standing by.

By the way, Council 8157 has scheduled a Wheelchair Sunday Drive for the weekend of June 29-30, 2024.