Disabled man in Mountlake Terrace receives a boost

Published 7:34 am Friday, February 29, 2008

MOUNTLAKE TERRACE — When Tommy Brown, 61, was diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder 16 years ago he was devastated.

“I had just started a new job, and while driving home from work one day my legs just gave out on me,” Brown said. “I didn’t know what to think.”

Brown, a Navy veteran, was diagnosed with transverse myelitis, a debilitating nerve condition caused by the inflammation of the spinal cord. The disease often progresses suddenly, as it did in Brown’s case. He is now confined to a wheelchair, he has nearly complete numbness in his legs.

This past November, Brown moved to Mountlake Terrace from Yakima to be closer to Veterans Hospital in Seattle.

Brown applied to receive a wheelchair access ramp as a part of the Master Builders Care Foundation’s 11th annual Rampathon event on May 15, and they answered his need and then some.

Each year, the charitable arm of the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties (MBA) coordinates more than 250 volunteers and businesses to construct free wheelchair access ramps for low-income, disabled homeowners in King and Snohomish counties.

A ramp captain is assigned to each location, and Westhill Inc. is responsible for the ramp construction at Brown’s home. Westhill has taken its ramp captain responsibilities one step further. After assessing Brown’s ramp needs, the remodeling company noticed that the home was in a state of disrepair.

Westhill then recruited several of its sub-contractors to conduct an in-kind makeover to the home. From electrical and plumbing work, door replacements, to flooring and more. Brown’s house received a general fix-up on May 15.

“Rampathon is a tremendous opportunity for our employees and sub-contractors to give back to our community,” said Charles Russell, president of Westhill Inc. “We’ve been involved in the past, and this year our volunteers are taking things a step further with the home improvement project.”

Brown is excited about Rampathon and the home facelift.

“I was just overwhelmed at the generosity of having the ramp built, and to receive these repairs is just thrilling,” he said.

The 2004 Rampathon is the largest to date and will add access ramps to 22 homes, bringing the total number of ramps built to more than 100.

Ramp recipients previously submitted applications demonstrating their low-income status and the need for a ramp as the primary mode of access to their home. They must also be homeowners or lifetime renters within King and Snohomish counties. The ramps are provided at no cost to the recipients, according to MBA officials.