FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A quadrilateral amputee and his older brother are helping those injured in the Boston Marathon bombings.
"I don't see myself as a hero," said Michael Stolzenberg. "I'm just a 13-year-old kid trying to help out and do the best I can."
Five years ago, Michael contracted a bacterial infection that left him in a coma and eventually caused oxygen deprivation to all four limbs. As a last resort, doctors were forced to amputate.
"I got a little angry sometimes," he said. "I've come to realize it's a privilege now that I can help out more kids."
The seventh grader now plays middle school lacrosse at Pine Crest School. He, like many of those throughout the U.S., wanted to help after seeing three people killed and more than 100 injured in the April 15th bombings.
"At first, I was really sad and I knew how hard it was for me," said Michael.
Harris, Michael's 17-year-old brother, also wanted to help. He will enroll as a freshman at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the fall.
On the spot, Harris decided to run the 2014 Boston Marathon.
"My mom said if you can raise $1,000, that would be amazing. I said no, I'm going to raise a million," he said.
Harris has never even run a 5K, but he remains undaunted.
"When you have a younger brother like Michael, it's not hard," he said. "You're running, you're tired -- if he can play football and lacrosse with no hands and feet with a smile on his face, I can suck it up and run 26 miles.