PHOENIX (CBS5) -
Josh Rivers was an innocent bystander in December 2010 when he was caught in a crossfire at a Phoenix nightclub.
With 14 pieces of bullets still in his upper body, Rivers is still unable to walk. He decided to put his story on YouTube to generate donations for a tool that he hopes will enable him to walk again.
Now, thanks to a generous donation from a viewer touched by his story, Rivers' life could take a drastic turn for the better.
After the story of his video aired on CBS 5 News Aug. 7, viewer Brian Coddington decided to make a difference for 25-year-old Rivers.
"It just really touched my heart what he went through," Coddington said. "So, I thought the least I can do is send an email (to my boss). That's all I could do."
Coddington sent his boss a link to the CBS 5 story about Richards and asked him if the company could make a donation.
"That was really the impetus, to at least take the initial glance," said Bryan Tucker, Coddington's boss.
And after digging deeper, Tucker had no doubt Rivers is the type of person he wanted to help.
"Just with speaking with Josh, it was very comforting in itself," Tucker said. "He is a very polite young man and that just reinforced the harshness of the event and the senselessness of it."
Coddington said he knew his boss would help Rivers, and it didn't surprise him to know Tucker paid the entire $7,000 that was still needed for the Bioness L 300, a machine that when strapped to the leg will send electrical signals to help the leg move on its own.
"It was pretty unreal. I thought it was a joke," Rivers said.
No joke here, just one thoughtful man sending a message to another who has the means.
"Then he called me on Saturday and said, 'It's on order, it's been placed. Thank you so much.' That in itself, the reaction from Josh, it makes the whole thing worthwhile," Tucker said.
His excitement to get off his chair and walk again is contagious.
"I'm very anxious to start," Rivers said. "Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. Thank you. It just means everything to me. You've changed my life forever."
Copyright 2012 CBS 5 (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.
Brian Coddington says the least he could do to help 25-year-old Josh Rivers was to send an email to his boss asking if he could help Josh Rivers.
Josh Rivers says he thanks both men from the bottom of his heart. "You've changed my life forever."
