Jon Schumacher, Nick’s good friend, goes to him for wheelchair fixes.

David Mendes, Nick’s dad

Wendy Mendes Nick is dependent on Wendy for help with his day-to-day routine and many of their previous living challenges were with bathing and self-care. Nick’s motored chair did not fit in the bathroom; Wendy had to transport him to a reclining chair to get him in the bathroom.

On April 30, 2011, Army Sergeant Nicholas Mendes, a gunner with the 10th Mountain 3rd Brigade, was critically injured when an improvised explosive device (IED) was detonated beneath his vehicle. The explosion, set off by a 500-pound command wire device, caused multiple fractures of his vertebrae, paralyzing him from the neck down. The injury occurred […]