A Utah dad unveiled a special surprise for three of his kids Sunday: a custom-built bunkbed and play space that incorporated two beds and a third loft bed, accessible with a hinged ladder.
The special project was a labor of love for Dan Kotter, also known as "The Wheelchair Dad" on social media.
Kotter, 46, said it took him over a year in between hospital stays, daily life and more to realize this "dream" for his three youngest daughters, Marlee, Maisie and Quinn, who are 3, 4 and 12, respectively.
"I've always loved building and changing things up and putting something together. So, it was something I wanted to embark on," Dan Kotter told "Good Morning America."
Dan Kotter and his wife Andrea are parents of six. With four bedrooms to share between them, Andrea Kotter came up with the unique idea and design for their youngest kids' shared bedroom.
The husband-and-wife duo then teamed up to bring the fun idea to life.
"I turned to Pinterest and started seeing all these cool, built-in bunkbeds. And then we worked together and kind of came up with a design that would custom work in in this room," Andrea Kotter said.
Dan Kotter, a carpenter by trade and a wheelchair user, had to get creative to figure out how to work through various challenges, such as when a space would become too small for him to work in comfortably.
"It is challenging. I really have to think about what I'm working on and work myself backwards a lot of times," he said.
At the same time, he said the project overall has "really been fun."
Kotter, who was paralyzed after a fall during a roofing accident 11 years ago, has been sharing his everyday life and active projects on social media and hopes to show others that living a full and happy life is possible after paralysis or a traumatic accident.
"I got online and was just searching around and couldn't really find anything and the things that I was finding at the time were demotivating," Kotter said of his motivation to share as "The Wheelchair Dad."
Kotter also said staying active has helped him both mentally and physically.
"It's such a positive beat for me. I have extreme nerve pain [so] anytime I can stay really active during something, it helps negotiate that down. And so yeah, when I'm super busy, time flies and I don't get stuck in that zone," he said.
Andrea Kotter said seeing her husband work on the project has been fun to watch as well.
"He just lights up when he has tools and wood in his hands, so it's just fun to watch him in his element," she said. "It's like he forgets he's paralyzed for a little bit."
The Kotters hope that by sharing Dan Kotter's personal journey as a paralyzed wheelchair user and their lives as a blended family, they can offer hope to others going through similar challenges or inspire others.
"It's just fun to see things come together and be able to show Andrea and the kids what I can do," Dan Kotter said.
"Hopefully [my kids] look at it and remember that 'Dad did this for me growing up even [though] he had a wheelchair,'" he added.
