He said:

Accessibility is an issue. Over the last couple years that phrase has become an experience. While it’s not always convenient, we can usually choose to avoid less/non accessible public places. However, it’s not so easy to just choose a different home when it’s not accessible. 

I’m an action person. And there came a point where it was time for action. So, I stuffed a bunch of deck boards from Mendards in to the TB while it was raining out. Then, on the next decent weekend, I just cranked out this ramp. I used some really long 4×4’s that I already had on hand to assemble a dual rail underframe. I attached the rails to the upper landing area that I had already put together out of a bunch of scrap on hand (I have a lot of wood laying around) and some other nice wood that was donated for the project. Which, by the way, was some amazing smelling cedar!!! From there, it was screwing down the deck boards for 25 feet. I added a toe board so that the wheelchair couldn’t slip off the side (that would be a disaster) and a handrail. At first, we had to navigate the yard on the side of the house to get to the ramp in the back. But, with winter looming we had to get a sidewalk in. We were extremely fortunate to have some professionals donate their time to put in a beautiful concrete sidewalk to meet up with the ramp. 

This accessibility project is literally and figuratively a life-saver — and that is not an exaggeration. 

She said:

As my illness continues to progress, we are presented with more obstacles and problems to solve. The biggest? Being wheelchair bound. As my muscles continue to weaken, and my dizziness increases, I can’t walk far or stand long at all. And stairs? Forget about it. Not even happening. We live in a split level home, which is about as inaccessible as it gets. I couldn’t get in or out of my own home. The house was holding me hostage. Not a great morale booster, let me tell you. So this husband of mine sees me falling into despair as I lose more and more of my freedom, and he just jumps into action. MY HERO. For reals, you guys. I can’t even tell you how much I cried happy tears when he showed me this ramp! (For the record, before the toe board was in place, my daughter dumped me over the side. Once.) And then once the ramp was complete, we had to struggle with the grassy hill to get back around the house — until we were so generously blessed by a concrete crew with Scull Construction who donated their time to put in a beautiful sidewalk for us! I was totally overcome by it. This project made me feel so incredibly loved, cared for, and watched over.