Edith has spent her whole life working hard and doing what she can to take care of herself. That hasn’t changed now, even though she is now 90 years old and uses a wheelchair to get around since she has a bad hip. She still lives in the cozy trailer on her own property and cooks all her own meals. She keeps up her place the best she can and is grateful for the help of her daughter Kathleen and son-in-law Dennis to help with the chores she cannot do now.
She is also grateful that Dennis called DRA about getting a ramp built at her home. He called to explore the possibly of having a ramp built for Edith, and in September, DRA was able to build one.
Grant funds from Jefferson Foundation made this ramp possible. Edith is glad to regain some of her independence and safety again.
“The ramp you built is the best thing ever. I wouldn’t be able to get out of my home without it. Now I can get outside to go shopping and to the doctors now. Or I can just go sit in the sunshine,” said Edith. “It’s better for fire safety too. I don’t know what I’d do without it!”
As the 10th of 11 children born on a farm south of Potosi, Edith was raised to know the value of working hard to be self-sufficient.
“We didn’t have any motor stuff back then. We did it all by hand. We had everything we needed. We had hogs, cows, and horses. We had a garden and canned all our food to stock up for winter. That’s a hard life. But a good one!”
Edith still loves to keep her yard as best she can. Until recently, she always kept a garden, because “there is nothing like home grown tomatoes fresh from the garden!”
As an adult, Edith worked for 28 years at White Rogers in St. Louis. She learned many skills, including to weld and braze. She saved enough money to buy several acres south of Festus where she now lives. She still enjoys learning new things and keeping her mind sharp.
As she did as a child, Edith still does everything she can to take care of herself. She is grateful for those who helped build her ramp so that she can stay safely in her own home and continue to do just that!
Today there are over 50 people on DRA’s waiting list for ramps and home modifications. Please give today so DRA can build and help others.
