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Paul's Story
Paul Salter went to
football practice in the Pop Warner league on September 9, 1999, as he had
done many times before. When he was tackled, that wasn't unusual either -
but the results were. Suddenly the 14-year-old was a quadriplegic.
Such an event would
have been devastating for anyone. It was no less for Paul and his family.
Paul spent months in All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg. His
parents, Glenn and Gail, camped out in a nearby motel.
When Paul returned to Sarasota, he went to HealthSouth Rehabilitation
Hospital. Paralyzed from the shoulders down, he learned to control the
things around him - television, telephone, fan, VCR - by puffing or
sipping on a straw from an electronic device provided by a generous
donor.
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Paul's case manager vowed that he would be back in classes at Riverview
High School that September - and he was. Whether Paul would ever
return home was a different question. He needed so much care that a
nursing home seemed the only answer, but that wasn't acceptable to the
Home Builders Association of Sarasota County.
John King, a member of the HBA's
Board of Directors, first learned about Paul's situation from a neighbor
in early 2000. He visited the Salter home to assess the possibility of
adapting doorways and a shower for Paul's wheelchair, making room for his
backup generator and installing many other retrofits. It couldn't be done.
The HBA readily agreed to replace
the Salter home - for free - if the Salter's could consent. "It was
the right thing to do," King says. Besides Glenn, a plumber, is one
of their own. Glenn gave it some thought.
"My grandfather build that
house and I've lived in it since I was a child," he says, "but
it was an old cracker house and we couldn't adapt it."
The Salter's moved into a rented
home and King took time from his business as President of Rampart Homes,
Inc. He and his wife Didi coordinated 185 donations of labor, materials or
cash as well as numerous anonymous financial gifts. John also oversaw the
construction activities that resulted in the new 2,200 square foot,
uniquely designed home.
"This home is a lot more
than what we expected," Glenn says. "The people of Sarasota, the
contractors - they came here and gave us wonderful, quality work. They cut
no corners."
Paul is doing well, too.
"He's got all A's and B's, but a C in Algebra. I just admire him so
much, for having the courage to go back to school. I don't know what I'd
do, but he deals very well, and he hasn't lost his sense of humor."
Paul's brother Jason, 18, and sister Dixie, 21, live in the new home and
care for him while their parents are at work.
"The new home is really
outstanding, but I'd give it all up to have things the way they were. I
just love my son to death," Glenn says. "But the big story now
is the way the community came out to support us. I want everybody to know
jus how grateful we are."
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