Builders Care come to aid of Cape man in need
Robert Ryan is a quadriplegic who has remained self-sufficient, using only the help of his mother for help and assistance.
He is able to do many things on his own. What he can’t do is afford an air conditioner, which he needs to remain comfortable as the hot summer season fast approaches.
Thankfully, Builders Care, a part of the Lee County Builders Industry Association, has taken that burden off his mind.
The organization, with the help of community partners and volunteers, surprised Ryan and his mother Thursday with a brand-new air conditioner and all the parts and labor associated with it.
Builder Care partners Lead Mechanical Services, American Standard and Ferguson Heating & Cooling, donated their equipment and services on the project, which ordinarily would cost in the $6,000 to $7,500 range. Everything was expected to be completed in a day.
Christi Pritchett-Sarlo, executive director of Builders Care, said it ever there was a person more deserving of its services, it’s Ryan.
“We’re very excited to help him out. He is a very deserving person. He has a lot of strength and motivation to better himself. His disability limits him to only what he can do,” Pritchett-Sarlo said.
Ryan, 43, was in a serious motorcycle accident in 2001, that left him a quadriplegic without any hope of walking again.
He cannot use his limbs and experiences constant muscle spasms due to the nerve damage caused from the accident.
Three weeks ago, his central air unit went down, which meant for some hot days and only the occasional comfortable night. Ryan did not have the financial means to get a new unit.
Those spasms were the reason Ryan couldn’t go outside to see the parade of vehicles that came to his assistance. They were greeted by his mother, Christine Huffman, in the driveway.
There, they held a small ceremony, where Charles Thornton, of Ferguson Heating & Cooling and a Builders Care board member, got a little misty-eyed while speaking about Robert.
“I tell myself every time I do one of these jobs that I’m not going to cry, but it’s overwhelming,” Thornton said. “I knew when I saw their level of discomfort, we were going to fix it.”
When Ryan was finally able to see what was happening, he was clearly moved.
“It means a lot to have someone help. I’m very surprised. It will help me be more comfortable. I’ve had a hard time sleeping because I couldn’t cool off at night,” Ryan said. “I can’t appreciate enough all that you’re doing for me. People want to help and you have to pay it forward.”
Huffman, who has helped her son by taking him to the doctor or to the store, called Builders Care “miracle workers.” She said she learned about Builders Care at a fair.
“It took me years to find someone to help him because he has a very limited budget, below the poverty level. He was having very bad days,” Huffman said. “I have never met such nice people as those at Builder Care. They are so willing to help and I am thrilled beyond words.”
Pritchett-Sarlo said she wants to make Ryan’s house more wheelchair accessible and is looking into ways to do that.
Builders Care has completed more than 300 projects worth $4 million in free services back into Lee County.