Hope's Helping Hand: Roof accident leaves family in need of help

When everything is going so good in life, curve balls can come unexpectedly. That's exactly what happened to a Valley man who was trying to fix his roof after it was damaged in the March wind storms.

A 25-year-old Wasilla High School graduate, with two children and a full-time job on the Slope, returned home from work to find his house ravaged by the storm last winter. So he did what he always did -- helped his family. He was fixing the roof on April 5, when he lost his footing and fell 18 feet to the frozen ground below.

He landed feet first but the force took him to the ground. An hour later, the ambulance arrived and he was rushed to the hospital. The couple's two children watched the entire episode.

"Five hours after falling [he] was rushed to surgery due to massive swelling of his ankles," his family wrote. "They were later informed that [he] would remain in a wheelchair for six months and could not be able to return to work for at least a year."

Hope's Helping Hand, a program established by the Frontiersman to help people recover from unforeseen circumstances, is trying to help the family out.

The family is in jeopardy of losing their home and their vehicle, because the man was the sole provider for the family of four. All money raised from the community goes directly toward helping others -- there are no administrative costs, and every single penny is important.

"He is a caring, devoted husband and a dedicated employee," his family wrote. "[He] is an all-round first-class human being. This man loved to teach his sons to play sports, fish and swim. These days, playing with them is difficult because he now spends his time in a wheelchair."

After the initial surgery, he was taken to the hospital for four additional surgeries due to the swelling, staying in the hospital for nine days. A week after getting out, he had to return to the hospital for three additional surgeries to repair the damage to his bones and joints.

Two months later, doctors found an infection in his left foot. After two more surgeries, he is now on 24-hour intravenous antibiotics, and he has a pump attached to his incisions on his ankles to ward off infections.

The family is hoping he can walk soon. "[He] is working very hard to recover as soon as possible," his family wrote. "He is receiving physical therapy three times a week and doctors visits weekly. Although he may never get back to what he used to be, he is optimistic."

His family said one of his biggest concerns is returning to work in eight months as an iron worker on the North Slope.

Donations for the Hope's Helping Hand program can be made at the Frontiersman's office, located on the Palmer-Wasilla Highway across from Hyer Road.

Checks can be mailed to the Frontiersman, 5751 E. Mayflower Ct., Wasilla, AK 99654. All donations are tax deductible.

Donations still needed for

medical emergency

For six years, a 46-year-old woman has been through several treatment options for a medical condition that has been debilitating.

She had exploratory surgery, which revealed internal bleeding, and earlier last month she had surgery, which has forced her to take leave from her job, without pay, for four to six weeks to recover.

Her husband is on call with the longshoreman union, and she said he gets about $50 a week through unemployment when not working. The family's problem is putting together enough money for a house payment.

"I have called my home-loan people and they are going to help me and I am able to almost pay every bill except for the house payment," she wrote.

Donations are still needed to help the family get through these trying times.