A desperate man's pleas for help were answered within hours of the story hitting the streets on Wednesday, and it's no surprise to the woman who brought it to the attention of The Daily News.

"People always step up," said landlord and advocate, Debra Powell. "Yay for the City of Kamloops!"

The Tuesday edition reported that Bob Pattenden had been trapped in his room since his scooter died on Feb. 14.

Pattenden lives in a single room on minimal disability income with a brain injury and severe physical limitations.

He was unable to get his own food, fresh air or exercise without the Medichair, and was looking at a possible six-month wait for a new one.

Powell said she could see him deteriorating. He said he felt like he was falling apart.

That all changed when he found out he will be mobile again come Friday.

On Wednesday morning, Kamloops Mountain Medical owner Karen Daly read the story and immediately got on the phone.

"These are like their legs," she said of those clients who require scooters. "It's very, very important to them."

The retail outlet had suffered a fire recently, said Daly, so she has a load of extra stock that she intends to use in a "fire sale" come spring.

"It's still a little smoky but has been cleaned," she said. "So if I lend it to somebody for a couple of months, that doesn't really change anything."

Once Pattenden's occupational therapist assesses him on Friday and says he's safe to use a scooter, Mountain Medical is ready to provide one.

Pattenden's building caretaker, Cheryl Robertson, said Daly wasn't the only one to call. An elderly woman also reached out with an offer to buy a scooter outright for him.

That won't be necessary but "it was just nice to hear," said Robertson.

Pattenden was visibly uplifted by the news but had few words.

"I want to thank everybody," he said.