Sunday, September 18, 2011

Ramping up (and down)

We have a ramp! A beautiful, wide, gradual, accessible ramp that spans 12 feet of our garage and allows us to easily transition Will in his wheelchair from our house level to ground level. This is such a huge relief!
The men from the church and Will's teacher arrived on Saturday morning. Because we had bad weather and people didn't know that they would be building a ramp inside, the group was small but devoted! They quickly jumped into laying out the ramp and bringing in some supplies. Luke and Matt were happy to help. Will was in a grumpy mood (must not have understood the importance of the day or the kindness of this mission!), so he spent most of the day inside and away from strangers, saws, drills and nail guns. The men worked through the day to install the landing at the top of the ramp and started the incline down towards the floor. Despite my best attempts at keeping Will happy inside, I could not diminish the sounds of construction coming from the garage. He was miserable. We ended up leaving for a while - finally got my oil changed (small victory, long standing goal!) and picked up a new picture frame from the mall. Will seemed happy to he out of the house, and I was super glad not to have him whining.Matt and Luke stayed in the garage for most of the day with Nate and the men from the church. They loved running up and down the trailer. They ran all day. They were soaked and dirty... and they slept so well last night!Because of the small crew, the men were unable to finish in a single day. So they arrived this morning to finish up. They brought some extra help and were very efficient. Despite my best efforts to thank them and give them cookies, snacks, and drinks, they politely declined and went on with their mission.They finished and left quietly, without fan fare. We immediately took Will into the garage for some one on one time with his new ramp. The long days and the noise disappeared, and Nate drove Will up and down the ramp several times. It was so smooth and easy! What a change from our typical bump-bump-bump up and down the stairs. Will loved it. So did we. We are so grateful for the Methodist Men's Ministry at the Wake Forest United Methodist Church! We can't thank you enough for your dedication, craft, and kindness!







1 comment:

Christie said...

awwww, I love the look on Will's face in the last picture!!