'We need to be caring for each other': 16-year-old helps man in wheelchair get home before severe weather strikes

Hope Schreiber
·Writer
·2 min read
Seth Phillips, 16, jumped out of his mother's car to help Gregory Beck, a double amputee, get home before severe weather hit on Tuesday. (Photo: Facebook)
Seth Phillips, 16, jumped out of his mother's car to help Gregory Beck, a double amputee, get home before severe weather hit on Tuesday. (Photo: Facebook)

Residents of Missouri know that when the outdoor warning siren sounds, which is activated when there is a tornado warning for the area, it’s time to seek shelter. One man, a double amputee, was leaving a grocery store about a quarter mile from his home when the sirens started to go off. Thankfully, a 16-year-old stepped in to help when it seemed no one else would.

"Everyone kept telling me the storm is coming and you need to hurry up and get home," Gregory Beck told KMOV4. Getting home, however, is not so easy for Beck, who lost both his legs last year and is legally blind due to diabetes.

As Beck was attempting to cross a busy street to get to a nearby gas station, multiple drivers were honking and yelling at him — however, to one teen's surprise, no one was helping.

Seth Phillips, 16, spotted Beck and immediately asked his mother if they could stop to help.

"This lady and her son were hollering at me like, 'Are you okay?" Beck told the news outlet. "Very lovely lady driving and her son. Just the greatest people and very concerned about other people, which America needs to start doing more of."

Seth pushed Beck in his wheelchair up a hill to his home — a hill that Beck says takes him 25 minutes to traverse. He has to stop up tp 10 times to rest before he makes it to his door.

Amber Gilleylen, Seth’s mother, said that her son didn't complain about the trek.

"His only complaint was, 'it makes me sad that people would rather fly by and honk at a disabled person rather than to lend a hand,'" said Gilleylen.

Gilleylen filmed her son's kind act to share with her mother on Facebook. Seth’s grandfather was also a double amputee.

The video started to rack up views and was shared throughout social media. Now, the mom hopes the video will inspire other teenagers. "My hope is that other teenagers will see that it's the cool thing to do, you know, it's good to help other people. It doesn't make you uncool to stop and help someone who needs it," she told the station.

The act, according to Seth’s mother, isn't out of character. When asked why he stopped to help, Seth explained, "We need to be caring for each other and helping each other out."

Seth hopes to reconnect with Beck soon.

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