GREENBACK, Tenn. (WVLT/Gray News) – A veteran with cancer and an unusable home has to call an ambulance every time he has to go to a doctor’s appointment, but now dozens of volunteers are coming together to fix up his house.
Veteran Stacey Tate was recently diagnosed with lung cancer and is in a wheelchair. He hasn’t been able to leave his Tennessee home alone for about a year because it is in poor condition, WVLT reports.
“I don’t think he’s been able to leave his house for a doctor’s appointment for almost a year. He was recently diagnosed with cancer and every time he has to go to an appointment he literally has to call an ambulance to pick him up and take him out of the house,” said Austin Wilemon of Volunteer Handyman.
A volunteer handyman is offering free repairs to Tate. Over the next few weekends, Wilemon hopes to repair the veteran’s porch and install a ramp for him. He also plans to do decking and some exterior work on the house with the help of dozens of volunteers.
“Get that deck ready. Put in the new ramp and get him mobile so he can get in and out of his house,” Wilemon said.
Brian Chamberlain is a volunteer who also helps bring food to Tate. When he went to his house, he noticed that the veteran needed help that he couldn’t give.
“There are three of us who take turns bringing Stacey’s food to the food bank. And then I brought him some food when he got out of the hospital and was diagnosed with stage 2 lung cancer,” Chamberlain said. “At that point, the deck was no longer acceptable. I didn’t really think about it because I see this kind of thing a lot.”
Chamberlain has been volunteering for over a decade and says it’s amazing to see the community come together in this way to support Tate.
“I’m overwhelmed. I’m close to tears. This is unbelievable. Someone who knows me tagged me in a post that Austin made about helping a veteran. I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is crazy,'” Chamberlain said.
Volunteer Handyman originally set out to help one veteran each year, but thanks to community support, they’ve been able to go even further. They said there are plans to help two people by Veterans Day, and another project is already planned for next year.
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