WENATCHEE — Fred Bull is an unusually helpful person for a 28-year-old. Or any age, for that matter.
He takes time off from his job as a building contractor to build Habitat for Humanity homes for the disadvantaged. He does quick remodeling jobs for free for families who can’t afford home repairs and participates through his church in work parties to help others in need. He and his wife, Naomi, have given away two vehicles to families who needed transportation.
“It’s so much more fun to do something for a single mom that will really affect her life,” Bull said recently, while he was working to remodel his own house. At noon, he leaves his house to work on a customer’s house.
Except for the horseshoe-shaped scar on the back of his shaved head, you’d never know he had brain surgery in January.
Friends and family say Bull has always had a positive, giving spirit that is an inspiration to others. And he’s only become more helpful and more inspiring, they say, since he went in for his first surgery five years ago to remove a brain tumor. He’s had two more surgeries since then, the last one Jan. 25. The tumors, doctors say, are caused by a rare and very aggressive form of brain cancer that few people survive. Bull’s betting his positive outlook and the help of his friends will help him lick the tough odds.
Family, friends and total strangers are finding ways to help the couple in their time of need. A crew of retired builders is helping remodel the couple’s home before the late June arrival of their baby. Others have held yard sales and dinners to raise about $50,000 for the alternative treatment that may be the only chance of saving Bull’s life.
“He came out and gave us a hand so we thought it was time for us to give him a hand,” said Jim Chilson, one of two longtime Habitat for Humanity volunteers who recently were helping Bull work on his house.
“He’d come out and say he could only volunteer until noon because he had to go to his own job, and he’d still be there at 7 p.m.,” said Bob Cripe, who was also helping.
“It’s their turn to receive now,” said Gene Fairchild, a Habitat for Humanity project leader.
“We were both raised not to ask for help and not really knowing how to accept help, but there’s been this amazing outpouring. This has definitely made us look at life differently,” said Naomi Bull, now five months pregnant. She will graduate from Central Washington University with her teaching degree three weeks before the scheduled birth.
“These guys are awesome,” said Fred Bull about the help he’s received, both on the house and through donations. He said he wants to get the house remodeled before the baby is born, in case his cancer treatment turns out poorly.
Bull was living and working near Anchorage, Alaska, eight years ago when he first started having headaches and vision problems after a crash while competing in a 24-hour mountain bike ride. Doctors couldn’t find any problems at the time, but his vision problems and headaches kept getting worse. Instead of going back to the doctor, he decided to take another long bicycle ride.
“I got really scared and wanted to do something that was life-affirming,” he said. Always adventurous and athletic, he loaded up his mountain bike and rode 2,400 miles to Wenatchee, where he had relatives, and started his life anew. The headaches kept getting worse, and he went to a local doctor five years ago. A small growth was found on the occipital lobe at the back of his brain. The tumor was removed at Central Washington Hospital. The growth was benign, but doctors warned him there was a 1-in-10 chance that it could grow back and cause problems.
He met Naomi Good through church, and they married in November 2005. The two felt positive about their life ahead, their community and the strong Christian belief they shared.
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