TRIADELPHIA, WV — Quaker Steak & Lube in The Highlands hosted a “Touch a Truck” event to support a young boy on his road to recovery.

Laiden Schaefer is a two-year-old boy from McMechen who went into cardiac arrest on July 5. His parents – members of the McMechen Volunteer Fire Department – were able to save Laiden by performing CPR and taking him to the hospital. After being taken to WVU Children’s, he went into cardiac arrest again and had to be resuscitated and placed on life support.

He is now off all life support, but suffers from a rare heart condition and could face long-term problems.

“He’s doing much better. It’s been a lot of work, but we’re finally getting him on the right track,” said Josephyne Coe, Laiden’s mother.

This prompted the volunteer fire department to create an event called “Touch the Truck” to support Laiden and his family and raise money to purchase a pediatric AED for the family’s home – an important device that can save lives.

At the event, Laiden and other children were able to view several trucks on site.

“I actually visited Laiden in the hospital and saw him today compared to the hospital. Just taking a few steps and seeing him running around and having fun,” said John Davis, chief of the McMechen Volunteer Fire Department. “I know vision is an issue. He has lost some vision, but he looks 80% better than he did before.”

At Quaker Steak & Lube, there were not only trucks on site for the kids to see and touch, but also bouncy castles, vendors and a Chinese auction.

“We reached out to Quaker Steak and asked them to organize a fundraiser because we knew they play a big role in these things. And what they did today is just incredible,” Davis said.

“I think it’s great because people always think local, local, local. Even though we’re a chain store, we’re very committed to the local community,” says Christine Thomas, marketing manager at Quaker Steak & Lube.

According to Chief Davis, the department is like a family, and many come with their own families to support Laiden. While Laiden’s health is slowly improving, there is still much to learn about his condition and the underlying cause.

The family says they are grateful for the support they have received in the community over the past month to secure Laiden’s future.

“This is definitely more than we expected. It just shows that there are still good people out there – there really are, especially in times like these,” said Chaz Schaefer, Laiden’s father. “It’s definitely a humbling experience.”

You can find Laiden’s GoFundMe by clicking here.