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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Builders Care makes Lehigh Acres man's life better - News Press
Date: Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Ramp built by nonprofit will put man on the path to a more mobile life.
Written by
Cristela Guerra cguerra@news-press.com
 Robert Smith’s house is accessible only by 4 feet of steps.
Walking is hard enough, and in public he depends on a wheelchair. Leaving his Lehigh Acres home means falling.
The 40-year-old Smith, who suffers from a degenerative disc disease and severe leg embolisms, slowly drops down the steps, sometimes hitting a concrete slab or wooden planks before crawling into his car.
On Monday, from the top of the red, rickety staircase, Smith broke down in tears of joy. Builders Care was building him a way out.
“I’d tumble like a tumbleweed and crash,” Smith said. “It’s very straining on my back.”
There are scuff marks on Smith’s black Kia Sportage where he’d hit his foot or head. He estimates he has fallen 10 to 15 times since he was hospitalized in April.
Through community partnerships and two lumber companies, Smith will have a 55-foot ramp with a landing in time for Christmas, according to Heidi Taulman, spokeswoman for Builders Care.
Local subcontractors donated their time and services Monday and will again Wednesday. Some of the materials were delivered Monday.
Taulman called Smith last week to tell him she would swing by with a contractor Monday morning.
“When we spoke he was disappointed because he thought I’d call to tell him it wasn’t his turn,” she said.
That all changed Monday when he saw a parade of helpers and supporters marching down his street with a banner for Builders Care.
Smith’s time had come. The ramp, which is also the nonprofit organization’s 100th project since 2006, will cost approximately $6,500 to construct.
“This is what Christmas and the holidays (are) all about,” said Randy Thibaut, co-founder and board member of the organization as well as president of Land Solutions Inc. “As tough as the time is in the industry, it’s still about getting together and coming in union to help others.”
Hands over his eyes, Smith could hardly speak when asked if he had anything to say.
“Without starting to cry my eyeballs out, thank you guys so much,” he said.
A single father of two, Smith’s wife of 21 years died last year of cancer. The family had moved to Lehigh Acres from Michigan after losing almost all they had in a fire.
Smith needs surgery on his back and admits it has been difficult to even reach this point of mobility. Trudging up the stairs, he asks friends in his front yard if they want a soda. Slowly, he makes his way back down in a sweater and old sneakers, holding onto the right rail. The left rail is broken.
Sometimes, Smith said, he surprises even himself with the number of challenges he’s been able to endure over the past couple of years.
“I kept my faith saying one day something good will happen,” Smith said. “I never thought it would be so soon. I thank God for every day I’m alive.”
A volunteer at First Baptist’s food pantry, Smith is on disability, and up until this week had rarely left his house during the past several months.
His errands are few: going to church, buying groceries and supporting and taking care of his 12-year-old son. His 18-year-old daughter lives in Cape Coral.
“He’s a heck of a guy,” said Ken Corbitt, 59, of Lehigh Acres, who goes to church with Smith. “He’d do anything he can for anybody. He called me this morning and told me he almost fell again holding onto the handrail. He was coming down to take his son to the bus stop.”
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