The Franklin News-Post
P. O. Box 250
310 Main Street, SW
Rocky Mount, Virginia 24151
540-483-5113
Fax: 540-483-8013
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Staff Photo by Morris Stephenson:
Jerry Wayne Davis and his wife, Debra, pose beside the van given to them by We Care of Franklin County. |
Monday, September 22, 2008
By MORRIS STEPHENSON - Staff Writer
Jerry Wayne Davis, 55, hasn't left his home on Doe Run Road for 18 months.
It's not because he hasn't had the desire, but because his only means of transportation was lost in a wreck.
So why is that a problem?
Davis has been paralyzed for the past 14 years and is confined to a motorized wheelchair. The wreck involved the family's 1986 Ford Club Wagon, which was equipped with a wheelchair lift.
Without the wheelchair lift van, his wife, Debra, and son, J.W Davis Jr., 23, have not been able to take Jerry Wayne Davis anywhere.
His wife and son could only come home from trips to Rocky Mount and surrounding areas and tell him what was being constructed, what was being changed and anything new that was going on in the area.
Little did Davis realize that his last trip before the accident to Walmart, one of his favorite places to go, would be his last for a year and a half.
But all of that changed Tuesday.
Jerry Greer, president of We Care of Franklin County, heard about the family's problem more than a year ago. "The family's plight was brought to my attention. I (We Care) tried on two occasions to buy a short bus for the Davis family at two school board auctions. But those buses usually sell for a high price," Greer said.
"Then the opportunity came along for We Care to purchase a 1992 high-rise van with a wheelchair lift from a man whose wife passed away," he added.
"We Care bought the van and paid for the title, taxes and all of that. The van was gone over by a mechanic and it's in good condition. We also presented the family with $100 worth of gas cards," Green said.
We Care earlier assisted the Davis family when their roof began leaking. Greer said Tony Barnes Roofing Company donated the roofing materials and Davis' son installed it.
With the gift of the van, Debra Davis transferred the tags off the family's small car and also got a windshield handicapped parking tag.
The van given by We Care is much better than the family's old one, she pointed out. The other one was not a high rise, which meant her husband could not see out. He also had to lean back in the wheelchair just to fit into the van because the roof line was so low.
The couple's son was just 9 years old when his father was injured in a swimming accident. It occurred on July 8, 1994, at Smith Mountain Lake. They were on a camping trip with friends when Smith decided to "take one more swim" as a cookout was under way.
"I dived off the diving board at the Ponderosa and my head struck an underwater piece of concrete of a boat launching ramp. I knew something bad was wrong as I started going numb while I was still under water," Davis remembers.
The injury left him paralyzed from the waist down. He has only limited use of his arms but is able to move his hands enough to operate the controls on the motorized wheelchair.
His wife doesn't work. She has to be home to take care of her husband's needs. Debra also spends a lot of time keeping the house clean and the yard mowed and trimmed.
"We were living in a trailer court but they closed it down and we had to find some place to go," she said.
"We really like it out here on this end (of the road). It's peaceful and quiet out here and that is really nice," Davis added.
At the time of the accident, Davis was working at The Lane Company, where he had been employed for 21 years.
"I was making $7.50 an hour at the time," he said.
Since then, the company closed its doors.
"Somehow I'm still getting $23.71 a month from them. That was all I got after 21 years of working and I never missed a day," Davis said.
Since the family received the van, they have been busy cleaning it up and getting it ready to take Davis on his first ride in nearly a year and a half.
The first trip is planned for tonight (Friday).
"J.W., who works for Bay View Construction on the lake, said he is going to take us to Long John Silvers in Roanoke after he gets paid. That's my favorite place to eat," Jerry Wayne said from his wheelchair.
He also hopes to visit Walmart again and go see the new store Lowe's opened since he was last in Rocky Mount.
"I've never seen the inside," he said.
Another stop will be to see his aunt, Gertrude Young, in Rocky Mount.
"Jerry Greer and We Care have really been good to us. We can't say enough to thank him for all he's done," Debra Davis said. "This van with the lift has been a blessing. He's never complained but It's really lifted his spirits." |
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