'Very proud of him:' Boy who uses wheelchair, with help from Dad, stands for national anthem
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- A boy who uses a wheelchair usually doesn't stand for the national anthem, but this week, he wanted to show his love for the country.
Avery Price, a student at Prescott South Middle School, usually doesn't stand for the anthem because of a condition he has called HSP Syndrome, which is similar to cerebral palsy.
"I usually sit and put my hand on my heart, but last night, I just decided to stand...because I like to stand for my country," said Price.
With the assistance of his dad, Price stood for the entire anthem.
"I'm very proud of him to do that. Yes, that makes me feel really good -- especially for the stuff he's been through and he still wanted to do that. That's amazing to me. He's a very patriotic kid. I mean, the braces he had before were the American flags. I mean, he's always been that way," said Stephen Price, Avery's father.
Avery's mom wasn't there, but she did see video that's been shared on social media.
"It was amazing. It was actually very, very sweet. We're very proud of him," said Jayme Jefcoat, Avery's mother.
"You have to capture it because there's not very many beautiful moments like that," said Leah Norris.
Norris started recording video of Avery and his dad when the anthem started.
"It's not a protest of anything. It's more of, our soldiers and the men and women in uniform are fighting for our rights to do what we want and Avery done what he wanted and stood up for what he believed in and for his country," said Norris.
Country artist Jenny Leigh sang the "Star Spangled Banner" at the Putnam County Fair, where this happened.
"It's awesome. It's a great display of patriotism and, in my opinion, it's a great example of love not only of him and his dad but, of the community as well," said Leigh.