Church members build new room for handicapped teenager

Rebecca Nation of Jackson needed a bigger shower.

She got a bigger shower, a bigger bathroom, a bigger bedroom and a drive-in closet. Not a walk-in closet, a drive-in closet.

Becki, as her family and friends call her, has cerebral palsy and gets around her family's home in a wheelchair. She's now 15 and her parents, Steve and Margie Nation, were having trouble lifting her across the room and over the bathtub in the family bathroom so she could sit in a special chair to shower.

Besides, a young lady needs to be able to shower in privacy.

A group of men from First Baptist Church of Jackson, where the Nation family worships, heard about Becki's need and remodeled the bathroom, enlarged her bedroom, and built that cool closet -- all donated to the family.

Becki Nation made her way out of the bathroom Sept. 11, as her mother Margie watched, to show her new range of movement thanks to wider door frames and other ammenities in their remodeled Jackson home. (Kit Doyle)

Becki's parents had applied to a government agency for money to make the family's bathroom handicapped accessible so Becki could more easily get into the shower. After getting the required estimates for the project, Margie Nation said, the family learned that there was no money left to fund the request.

Margie mentioned the project in a phone call to a church friend one day. Her friend asked about the project some time later, and when she learned that it could not be done, an idea took root. Eventually some members of the church's board of deacons found out about it.

"I went to an activity at church one night, and when I came home nine men were in the hallway asking 'what do you need?'" she said.

Some of those men in her hallway were from the board of deacons, others were the men's friends. Margie Nation told them they really needed a shower. The more they talked, the bigger the project became.

Steve Nation said they asked him several times, "Wouldn't you want this if you could have it?"

The group of volunteers drew up plans, got the necessary permits, widened the bathroom door, took out a closet and made the bathroom bigger, put in new bathroom fixtures and, when they found out that the pipes in the bathroom needed work, also put in new water and sewer lines.

They added a wall and a window, matched the siding outside, and expanded the room Becki shares with her twin, Rachel, to accommodate the drive-in closet, and painted the room bright blue and green to match each girl's taste.

One of the deacons, Jeff Bollinger, custom-built a cabinet in the bathroom that looks like a fine armoire. The sink is placed so Becki can roll her wheelchair right up under it to brush her teeth. She can also now wheel up to the shower and easily slide into the shower chair. The shower has a temperature control so she won't accidentally burn herself with hot water. Special hinges allow the doors to the bathroom and bedroom to lie flat against the wall so she can glide in with her wheelchair. The new drive-in closet has a pocket door to make entry easy, and the light switches are low enough for Becki to reach from her chair.

"They thought of everything," her father Steve said.

"It was really a neat project. I think it exceeded what they expected," said Bob Adams, one of the deacons and a real estate appraiser in Jackson.

The Nation family said they were overwhelmed by the men's generosity.

"It touches us that there are so many kind people in the world. It amazes me," Margie Nation said. "They did it strictly from their hearts."

"God works amazing things through our family, He really has," added Steve Nation. "We're very thankful. We never would have been able to do it the way it was done."

The men who worked on the project say they don't really know how much the project cost. They paid for most of it, some came from outside donations, and Adams said some came from the board of deacons.

With the exception of two volunteers who are retired, the crew had to schedule the work around their jobs and their other obligations. During that week, the Nation family stayed at the Victorian Inn courtesy of Dan Drury, a member of the Drury family who owns the hotel. Adams said he mentioned the project to Drury, whom he has known for a long time, and asked if he would help.

"I've been a friend of the family for a long time," Adams said. "They have always been good people when someone needs something."

When it comes time to count blessings, both sides of the project say they have many.

"I think we got more out of it than they did," Adams said.

"All of us were grateful to be part of this thing," said Stephens, retired from Midwest Sterilization in Jackson. "It was something that needed to be done and I think everybody felt really good about it."

"These gentlemen were so full of life and fun," Steve Nation said. "I think they really enjoyed it. I know I enjoyed being with them."

And most of all, Becki loves the new rooms.

"I can get around easier," she said.

The men who donated their time, skills and resources to give Becki and Rachel Nation a new room and bathroom include Keith Stephens, Darrell Kuntze, Art Woods, Bob Adams, Dallas Seabaugh, Larry Shoaf, Jeff Bollinger, Dennis Hurst, David Beussink, Dan Drury and Adrian Bratcher.

lredeffer@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 160