Brent Myers is a friend and classmate from high school. He owns and runs Brent Myers Construction.
Brent helped us solve a problem at our mom and dad's house.
We are fortunate to have good help with my dad. Elsie and Judy are both there two nights a week. Before them, Lucas was dad's helper, and a wonderful young man. These nights off have been nice, and Terri and I try to go grab a bite to eat, or go see the kids.
Helping a person move in a wheel chair is a learned skill.
How to best go up and over a bump...When there is a curb, or small rise, place one foot on the straight metal bar at the back of the chair, and push down, taking the weight off the front. Once you get a wheelie, go forward slowly, then ease the front down. Then pick up on the back of the chair and keep moving.
Going down a bump, ..a little bigger wheelie, but hold it and move forward till the back tires slowly go down the same bump, then ease the front down.
When you are the helper, you want the person in the chair to be safe, and get some of the work out, and maintain their level of independence. This is for their mental, and physical health.
Elsie and Judy are good, but they had not mastered the "wheelie the front and lift the back" to get over bumps. Dad says they try, and do the best they can, but sometimes he gets bounced around as they take him around the house to the bathroom and back out to his room.
This nightly journey has two big bumps. One where the driveway meets the sidewalk. The other is from the front porch, going into the house. Both are a two inch rise. A bad bump can be a teeth jarring, spine twisting, bladder emptying event.
I measured the bumps, and found a couple of 2x4s. I had a circular saw, but no great way of ripping them long ways to try to fix the problem.
At work a few days later, Brent Myers came in. I see him here from time to time, getting supplies for his yard and farm. I started asking him questions, and talked abut what I was trying to do. He smiled and said bring the boards by his cabinet shop, and one of his guys would fix me up. My stubborn self wanted to try to fix it, but Brent knows things I didn't know. Instead of good advice, I got a good solution.
A week or so later, on my day off, I went to Brent's cabinet shop on West Lincoln Street in Tullahoma. Brent had talked to them and they were expecting me. They smiled and invited me in. I heard saws, vacuum systems, and music. The smell of the wood and saw dust was sweet, and everywhere I look there were cabinets, mantles, and trim for houses. These hard working guys were getting a lot of work done. Now I felt guilty about them stopping to help me. I described the problem, and what I thought we needed to fix it. One of Brent's guys directed me around the corner to a huge table with a big round blade in the middle.
He adjusted the angle, then held my board up to it, then he tweaked the angle again before he powered up the saw. He cut the board long ways, making the rectangle board into two triangle shaped boards. He then took the two pieces over to a big belt sander, and slowly rounded off the edges, and smoothed it out from one end to the other. He took his time, and made sure it was right. From the time I got there, it took about ten minutes.
He explained that a rounded edge is stronger, and shouldn't break off when the wheel chair goes over it day after day.
I was like a kid watching all this. He handed me the boards, and said, "That should do it." I asked him about Thompson Water Seal, and he said that would be a good idea.
I told him I wanted to leave them some lunch money, or what kind of cokes they liked. He said, "Brent wants to do this for you, if you pay us or bring us something back, well, that would kind of take away from his gift."
Wow. He was right.
I had what I needed, and wanted to pay them back somehow. He could see I appreciated it. When someone does something for your kids, or your parents, it means a lot! I had tears in my eyes (from the sawdust : > ) I shook his hand, thanked him again, and got out of there.
The boards worked! Now whether someone gently lifts the front end of dad's wheel chair, or rolls it up and over the sidewalk, the triangle shaped boards with the rounded edges smooth out the ride. Dad doesn't dread that anymore, and he does not have to brace himself.
I'm reminded that we are here to help each other. Sometimes it's big things, sometimes, small things.
Brent is a blessing to our family. He helped smooth out some bumps, and everyday life for my dad is better, and a little easier.
