Ms. Mary Mansell is a 72 year old divorcee who raised two daughters as a single mom by working two jobs. That is until she was diagnosed with Cushings Disease, which causes tumors on the pituitary gland at the base of the brain. She had her first operation in June of 1996 to have her pituitary gland removed. That was followed by a series of 17 surgeries, the last of which, was June of 2006. Fortunately, the tumors were benign. However, due to complications from the surgeries she has not been able to work since ’96. She has a lovely home in south Greenville that she had to mortgage to help pay medical expenses. After making the mortgage payment she has only $650 per month to pay for food, utilities and medications. Over the years she has sold most of her furniture to help pay the medical bills.
In spite of her medical challenges her faith has remained strong and she gives God the credit for still being alive. As a result, she gives back as much as she can by volunteering at Triune Mercy Center every Wednesday morning helping with food and clothing distribution. She also helps neighbors and family by driving them to doctor’s appointments, the grocery store, etc.
Now she needs our help. Over the years she has had a situation where her shower in the master bath has leaked causing the floor to rot and sink. Since her bathrooms are back-to-back both are affected. Mary has been living with this problem for years and now it has gotten to where she cannot use the master bath at all. It has reached the point at which it is unsafe and unhealthy. If she were to hire someone to do the repairs it would be in excess of $10,000 which she obviously cannot afford.
Fortunately, we have had an “Angel Investor” step up and offer to match all donations up to a total of $5000. Here is an opportunity to double your contribution. If you are able to help it would be greatly appreciated.
During our last assessment visit it occurred to us that the thing to do would be to combine the two baths into one and make it ADA compliant with roll in shower like we did for Operation Derrick. When we mentioned it her face lit up and she said she had been praying that she could somehow have one big bath!Imagine that! We explained to her and daughter, Emory, that losing a bath might affect resale someday. Emory was emphatic that she wanted her mom to be comfortable and as caregiver the convenience of the shower would far outweigh and consideration for resale.
PROJECT DETAILS
Destruction/Construction
The first week of destruction/construction of Ms. Mary’s bathroom(s) has gone very well. Thanks to several dedicated volunteers we have torn out the existing two baths, rebuilt the floor system, rerouted the plumbing and wiring, installed the roll-in shower and hung the sheetrock. The mudding and taping of the sheetrock is starting today.
Ms. Mary has been a real joy with such a sweet spirit as we have tossed her out of her home and created tons of dust. On several occasions she has been reduced to tears as she has seen what God is doing for her. We have enjoyed praying with her each day. In an effort to get her back into her home as soon as possible we will begin the painting and finishing work on Tuesday.
It is Done!
The Lord certainly blessed us with dedicated servants to complete the remodel of Ms. Mary’s two small baths into one. The sheetrock finishing was completed on time by Raymond Powell which allowed us to paint, install the flooring, set the vanity, sink, commode, hang the mirrors, grab bars, towel bars, etc. As a result, Ms. Mary was able to spend the Labor Day holiday in her home enjoying her new bathroom.
Ms. Mary said that she had gotten to the point of being afraid to use both bathrooms for fear of falling through the floor. This terrified her as she knew she would not be able to get up if she did fall. She did the only thing she knew to do which was pray, pray, pray that the Lord would help her find a way to do the repairs. It was through her faithful service to Triune Mercy Center that the Lord brought us together. He rewarded her for her faithfulness.
Although she had central heat and air she had not used it since 2007 due to needed repairs. Instead she has been using two small window air conditioning units in the summer and electric heat in the winter. Through our good friend, David Goode at G & G Heating and Air, we were able to get the repairs done so her whole house is nice and cool now. Finally, she only has about two inches of insulation in the attic. Once the final repairs are done on the ducts we will have R-30 blown in which should help tremendously with her utility bills.
Thanks to all of you who helped make a difference in Ms. Mary’s life.
