A victim of gang violence received the gift of a lifetime on Friday, just in time for Christmas.

"I feel really happy because I got a new chair," said 38-year old Eddy Villaman, who received a brand-new, motorized wheelchair.

Ten years ago, Villaman was assaulted by a gang. The incident left him confined to a wheelchair and dependent on his mother and a home attendant.

"He’s so young that we like to give him a gift of independence and we trialed him in a power chair similar to this and he did really well," said Joanne Orlando, vice president of RiverSpring Health, the program that gifted Villaman with the wheelchair.

The electric wheelchair will give him the opportunity and mobility to regain his independence and start a new year feeling excited.

"He wants to actually attend English classes now with his aide, and he also wants to go to a social day care now that he’s able to move around and do things on his own," said service member Christina Alicea.