NPR

A father's grief inspires a touching headstone for his disabled son

Ernest Robison's son, Matthew, never walked or jumped. But after the boy's death, Robison said, "I got the idea that he would just be able to rise physically from his wheelchair and go up to heaven."
Ernest Robison said he began crafting a bronze sculpture of his deceased son for his "own comfort." But the resulting statue and the attention it has drawn have inspired Robison and his wife to launch a nonprofit that helps people obtain free or low-cost mobility equipment.

Matthew Robison, who had cerebral palsy, spent his entire life in a wheelchair. So when he died at age 10 1/2, his parents thought they'd commemorate his life with a unique grave monument showing that he'd been liberated from the device.

"I got the idea that he would just be able to rise physically from his wheelchair and go up to heaven," his father, Ernest Robison, told NPR.

"And he'd be free from all of the disabilities and limitations that he had here on the

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR2 min read
Mystik Dan Wins The Kentucky Derby By A Nose
In a close finish, Mystik Dan won the Kentucky Derby by a horse's nostril over Sierra Leone. Contenders waited with bated breath in the seconds before the official decision was made. The thoroughbred had entered the race with 18-1 odds — a longshot c
NPR4 min read
'Zillow Gone Wild' Brings Wacky Real Estate Listings To HGTV
Zillow Gone Wild started in 2020 as an Instagram account devoted to eccentric property listings. The show focuses on homes that defy everyday expectations in some way.
NPR4 min read
Cicadas Are Back On The Menu. One Chef Shares His Dish Ideas — And An Easy Recipe
The cicadas are coming! And so are some new flavor profiles. This spring, the bugs of two broods, the 13-year Brood XIX and the 17-year Brood XIII, will crawl from the ground simultaneously across the eastern and southern parts of the United States.

Related