Race cars make pit stop at Madonna for patients

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Race car drivers brought some joy to patients at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospitals on Tuesday.

The idea started when 14-year-old Bryan Post mentioned how much he loves racing.

Post has worked in pit crews and watched many races in the summertime.

But he suffered a spinal cord injury and is spending time in Madonna.

When he got there, doctors said he was shy and quiet, so they tried to get him out of his shell.

Then Post told his case manager about his love of racing.

Soon, drivers were pulling their prized cars into the parking lot for patients to enjoy.

Robbie Juarez, who has been at Madonna for a month now, said going outside can be boring at times.

“But now, I get to see some race cars,” he said. “It’s something different, something cool to look at and just move around and see everything and everyone. So it’s pretty awesome.”

Doctors at Madonna said patients are happier and more motivated when they do events like this one.

“We’re inspired by our patients on a regular basis,” said Jeff Stec, the pediatric program coordinator. “This is no different. Our families that we work with and our kids that we see day in and day out, we ask a lot of them. It’s not always the easiest thing. Sometimes it hurts; sometimes it’s not fun. What we’re trying to do is really create motivation for them to really work harder and do more.”

One of the race car owners said it meant a lot to see the smiles on the patients’ faces.

“It’s like family. You don’t get a closer community than these guys,” Brandon Johnson said. “This right here, you know, you get to see these people come out. They don’t get to do stuff like this, so bringing racing to them is a great thing, and I hope they all like it. We’re all enjoying doing it for them.”