By Kat Halfman
Intern
DE PERE – Like many others throughout the country, 2020 was full of uncertainty for West De Pere Middle School student Daniel Nehls.
The now eighth-grader was an avid football player and lover of all things active.
That was until he and his parents received a shocking discovery – Daniel was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer that usually develops in the osteoblast cells that form bone, in his femur, which has confined him to a wheelchair.
“I was confused,” Daniel said. “I didn’t believe it at first – I thought it was a prank.”
He was able to continue to be a part of the football team serving as the waterboy, but said it wasn’t enough to watch from the sidelines.
“I get looked at more, and I know people wonder what happened to me,” Daniel said. “I tell them if they ask, but most people just stare,” Daniel said.
In search of support, Daniel’s mother, Terianne, created a Facebook page.
“We were shocked out of our normal routine, where we kind of took things for granted, and we started to feel very alone,” she said.
“Hearing from Paul’s Party was a ‘Holy cow’ moment, because we expected to have to fight tooth-and-nail to get Daniel active and participating with his friends again, but the school staff was just as excited to work with them as we were,” Terianne Nehls said.
Paul’s Party was started three years ago by Kathie and Jim Natzke in their son’s, Paul, honor, who was born with Spina Bifida.
The Natzkes said despite needing a wheelchair throughout his life, Paul never encountered a sport he didn’t love.
It’s in that spirit that the Natzkes have taken upon themselves to afford other children that same opportunity.
For much of the last two years, because of his diagnosis and the COVID-19 pandemic, Daniel was isolated.
When in the hospital, Terianne said he was only allowed one visitor at a time, meaning his parents had to take turns seeing him.
She said though she found this time to be particularly difficult, Daniel said he was grateful in a way for the restrictions, because they helped protect him at a time when he was very vulnerable to illness.
Now that things have somewhat returned to “normal” and since returning to school, Daniel said he’s actually found it easier to make friends.
“Lots of kids offer to push me around school, and you don’t want to be pushed in silence by a stranger, so you have to start some kind of conversation and get to know them,” he said. “There have been a few times where people grabbed my wheelchair without permission, but I take it easy and let them know that isn’t okay, because a lot of people just don’t know and have good intentions.”
Thanks to Paul’s Party, Terianna Nehls said Daniel now has a throwing platform and a custom racing chair, which allows him to participate in track.
Despite never really showing an interest in track before, Daniel said he knew he wanted to participate as soon as he heard about racing chairs.
He said he and his friends had started racing each other down the halls at school not long after he started using a wheelchair, and is thrilled to now be able to use a chair designed specifically for speed.
Though he hasn’t had a chance to practice using his throwing platform and racing chair yet, Daniel said he’s excited to get started.
For now, he plans to focus on football and track, but said he’s interested in exploring basketball, swimming and golf in the future.
Daniel said he’s incredibly grateful to the community for the support he’s received.
“The community has really helped me, and it’s heartening to see people come together to support you during your lowest times,” he said. “Knowing that I have people willing to back me up means a lot.”
More about Paul’s Party
Paul’s Party raises money through two main events – cheese raffles and an annual Paulpalooza.
The cheese raffles held throughout the state are a family-friendly spin on the classic meat raffle.
Kathie Natzke said there are 15 rounds per raffle, on average raising $3,000 per event, which is enough to cover two custom racing chairs (about $1,400 each).
“We started this fundraiser, obviously, with the main intention of raising money,” she said. “As we did more, however, we saw how excited the community got about it, and that people would go to their own kids’ track meets and see para-athletes competing with the equipment they helped obtain, and it really began to build a sense of pride and community.”
The Natzkes are hosting a cheese raffle for Daniel from 1-4 p.m. Sunday, March 27, at Badger State Brewing.
The Paulpalooza, which includes a live music festival and basket raffle, is held each August.
At the first festival hosted in Paul’s memory, Kathie Natzke said they were shocked to raise $20,000.
In the years since, they have been able to raise around $30,000 at each festival.
Kathie Natze said Paul’s Party has provided 12 racing chairs, 14 throwing stands, two RaceRunners, a couple of hand bikes and is in the process of buying a basketball chair.
At first, she said the money raised by Paul’s Party went to families she and Jim knew personally.
However, as the project grew, they found themselves supporting families they had never met, and getting the opportunity to meet dozens of kids with the same fighting spirit as Paul.
Kathie Natzke said they have even begun partnering with school athletic teams to help support their para-athletes.
“The main mission behind our track initiative is to provide an opportunity for para-athletes to participate with their able-bodied peers and be an equal member of the team,” she said. “By doing that, we’re also able to show able-bodied kids, coaches and even parents that their disabled peers are normal and capable. I hope that as we’re able to provide more equipment, kids who may feel isolated as the only para-athlete at their school are able to compete at higher levels against other para-athletes.”