Fenway Park usher has dream job after severe spinal cord injury
BOSTON - On your next visit to Fenway Park, have a question? Need directions? You're going to want to look for Stefan Ghelli. You'll be happy you did.
"I love the city. I love Boston. Just to be able to work at Fenway Park is like, wow. A dream come true," he said happily.
The ballpark gig is Stefan's first job since suffering a spinal cord injury in 2018. This dream come true - all because mom knows best.
"My mom is a wicked baseball fan. Last Labor Day I came to a game. My mom was the one who was like, 'you should get a job here!'" he recalled.
Fenway employee Louise Reilly Sacco also remembers that conversation.
"Late in the game he said to me, 'Is there anyone who works here in a wheelchair?' I said, 'there's at least one person.' He said, 'could your job be done in a wheelchair?' I said, 'I don't know. It hasn't been so far, but I don't know,'" she remembers.
They figured out the answer together - now coworkers and friends.
A lot of fans, Stefan simply helps to their seats. But for others - just seeing him, happy and hardworking - helps them long after they leave.
"We get a lot of kids who are in Boston for medical treatment. We get little kids in wheelchairs and they love seeing, especially someone pretty young, in a chair," Louise said.
"Seeing somebody who looks like you at the park allows you to see yourself in that position maybe one day," Stefan added.
After recently graduating Mass Bay, Stefan wants to be a bridge for others. He was awarded the prestigious Foster Furcolo Scholarship and will study psychology at UMass Boston.
"I'd like to take my experience with this spinal cord injury and give back and be a therapist for people with physical disability or substance abuse disorder," he said.
About to turn 29, Stefan just picked up the keys to his Charlestown apartment - a neighborhood he fell in love with, looking out the window of Spaulding Rehab.
"I refuse to let this injury make me sit on the sidelines and watch my life pass me by. I'm determined to have a very beautiful and fulfilling life," he said.
You can follow Stefan's journey and learn more of his inspiring story on his social media account.