A Mother's Love; A Community's Will
It’s been proven. A mother’s love can exceed just about any physical limitation when it comes to helping her child. This is the case for Ruth Watson—an elderly Jones County resident who is caring for her middle-aged son left completely paralyzed from a traffic accident.
Until recently, Ms. Watson, had to hoist her son, Tommy, out of his wheelchair into a small bathtub daily. "The bathroom was so small," says Watson. "I had to stand on either side of the commode and lift Tommy out of the wheelchair by his gait belt into the shower." Besides putting a tremendous amount of strain on her back, it also placed undo stress on Tommy. When asked if she suffered backaches and other pains resulting from this movement, Ruth responds, "Sure you do, but the good Lord gives you strength, and you go on and do what you need to do."
That all turned around for the Watsons in September when Operation
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>> A gradual slope makes it easy for Ruth Watson to wheel her son into the shower. <<
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Roundup and a caring contractor and his team went to work for Ms. Watson. Tommy’s once cramped bathroom was completely transformed into a comfortable space with both a wider entry door and larger shower to accommodate a wheelchair, a raised toilet and adapted sink. The estimate for this project was $12,000, but through donations, discounted materials and labor from local contractors, the renovation came to $4,690. This amount was paid for with Roundup dollars.
Leading the transformation was General Contractor Mark Mangham, who averages three humanitarian projects like this a year. "I didn’t have the money to pay for it," says Mangham. "I knew Ruth needed help so I jumped out on a limb and Operation Roundup made it possible." Project contributors include Electrician Mike Etheridge, Hamrick Building and Supply Co., Inc., Plumber David Stoger and Tile Specialist Jay Bivins.
"I can’t tell you how happy I was when the bathroom was done," says Ms. Watson. "It’s so easy now to move Tommy from his wheelchair to his bathchair. It means a lot to have people do this for us." <<
