Help Terry Recover from His House Fire
Those of you reading this may or may not know "Big T” from the old Raleigh Flea Market and also from Best Tires of Raleigh on New Bern Ave, his name is Terry Reaves, and his recent story is one that needs to be told (and if you know Terry you KNOW he won't tell it).His story is one filled with love, generosity, selflessness, perseverance and then rattled with devastation, heartache, and loss. He desperately needs financial, spiritual and emotional help during this trying time. To be completely honest with you I am not exactly sure where to start because I know I couldn't possibly encapsulate everything in order for you to truly know this man, his life, and what he has overcome!
Brief Bio:
Terry Reaves was born December 21, 1955 and lived with more foster families than I can count. He raised 4 beautiful children as a single dad, supporting them by working sometimes 4 jobs at once. Many know Terry (at that time was 600+lbs) as a hardworking man who ran 20-30 spots at the Raleigh Flea Market when it was open. It was here he was given the name Big T! Even at 600+lbs Terry was unstoppable and his daughter once told me it was like he could pick up a refrigerator with his pinky and toss it into the bed of a truck! Sadly Terry’s weight caught up with him and he eventually had to go on dialysis. Let me tell you that was such a life altering time, he almost died numerous times and was told he would be on dialysis for the remainder of his years. By the grace of God, not only did Terry survive dialysis, he beat it!!! Coming out of it weighing 180 soaking wet, his medical traumas were still not yet over. Soon after the dialysis he had knee surgery and honest to God was back to work within a month! About 3 months later, Terry, being his determined, stubborn, self sufficient self, tried to be the “Superman” he once was and encountered an appliance falling back on him and although it did not fall on him, it did cause him to hit the concrete hard enough to break his hip and thigh. Let me tell you this man asks for NOTHING as he doesn't ever want to burden another soul. A few surgeries and maybe a month later he was back at the tire shop! However just a few months later he broke his arm and re-injured his hip which meant more surgery! I'm telling you nothing keeps him down for long, his resilience is inspiring to me. When I asked him how he was doing during his recuperation time, his answer to me was that he was so bored and lonely that he allowed a stray cat to adopt him! I laughed and said “Only you Terry!” Unfortunately , no matter how many times you bounce back from life's trials, nor how good spirited you stay, you can never be fully prepared for what happened next…Terry lost his job and then true devastation struck
The Tragedy at Hand:
In April of this year Terry Reaves’ home burned to nothing due to a kerosine heater incident.
What Happened:
Terry was home during the incident occurred and only a foot or so away from the heater. It is a miracle he made it out not only alive but mostly unscaved. When the heater burst into flames Terry tried to use his (metal) crutches to drag the heater over to and out the front door ( mind you he still had a broken arm and re-injured hip), all he could think was he had to get it out of the house and everything would be ok. He told me how he had looked around he could see the flames had reached the ceiling, and engulfed the walls in a matter of minutes. Still hoping to minimize the damage Terry was determined to drag the heater. Unfortunately the flames burning his arms and face become unbearable and he had to abandon his efforts . I can't even begin to imagine how it felt to sit outside his home (in his wheelchair mind you) watching his home, his memories , his every single basic necessity literally go up in flames. We are so thankful Terry made it out alive and mostly ok physically. Terry told NO-ONE of his tragedy. Almost a week later when I found out, I asked him about the fire and his first comment back to me was, “All of the firefighters were super nice and truly did everything they could to save my cat and my home. I was speechless. Unlike some of us who deal with tragedy in our lives from a distance, Terry watched and felt the heat of the flames that devoured his home from the inside out, literally watching one of his dreams go up in smoke. The only possessions Terry now has, are the clothes that were on his back and a few miscellaneous items that were in the bed of his pickup truck. However, to meet and speak with this man, you would never know that only a few short weeks ago he lost literally everything!
The Afternath:
Being a very private person, Terry stayed in his truck until more recently when his family discovered what happened and provided him with shelter. Terry being the man that he is, is so thoughtful of others that he never wants to feel like a burden, therefore never stays longer than a day or so. When asked if he has somewhere to stay, his answer is always extremely vague and he says, “Of course! I stay here and there, don't worry about me I'm fine.” Unfortunately , the dwelling itself had been completely renovated recently yet was not yet insured to its current value, which means rebuilding will cost a significant amount more, especially with the current cost of building supplies. Not only will the house need to be demolished, removed and rebuilt, it will also need to be refurnished. The insurance money expected does not even cover an 1/8 of what is needed . Which is what brought on this go-fund me page, originally unbeknownst to Terry.
A Little Insight::
Terry Reaves is the epitome of a selfless person. Terry has such a big heart and truly “does” for everyone with no strings attached and without ever expecting anything in return. Terry is also an extremely private man hence why it was almost a week before the general public was given whispers of the tragedy. During this devastating time that has just begun for him, NOT ONCE will you hear Terry Reaves complain nor ask for help. I'm hoping we can band together and provide some of the necessities and the help he needs yet would never choose to burden us with. Let's give him the help and love he needs yet is so selfless he will not ask for. Please know I'm not asking for hand outs for Terry, instead I'm asking for us to give him a hand up!
A Much Appreciated and Very Unexpected Blessing:
On a slightly lighter note, one essential item destroyed was his pair of hearing aids, Terry himself contacted the merchant to order more hopeful they might give him some sort of discount . Let me clarify that again he was not asking for a handout nor sympathy from the company, Terry has been and will always be a penny pincher, coming from nothing , raising the 4 kids, and ALL THOSE FLEA MARKET DAYS combined have molded him into the bargain hunter he is today. I truly believe that a price tag to Terry is not perceived as the actual cost of an item, instead it is a starting point for negotiations. J Therefore his inquiry for the discount had absolutely nothing to do with his recent loss originally. Terry is just mindful of his money and truly knows how to stretch a dollar bill and he just wanted a deal L. As a side note I would like to point out that the mere fact he was fully prepared to pay full retail if his request had been declined is a jaw dropper for me. Honestly it speaks to the seemingly superior quality of the hearing aids manufactured by this company! We all know that with quality comes a heavier price tag, yet after conversing with Terry about them he explained to me just how unequivocally unmatched they were compared to the many other he has tried over the years and that they were worth every single red cent and MORE!!! WOW! Talk about an endorsement! Anyways, to sum it all up, the conversation with this company did not go as planned. IT WENT SO MUCH BETTER THAN EVER EXPECTED!!!! Someone higher up informed Terry that they were going to replace them for FREE! Hold on, that's not all, they also let him know that they've decided to refund his money for the original set! How awesome is that???? Here's the best part, they were so moved by this tragedy that they have offered and agreed to match up to $5,000 with donations. Talk about a blessing!!!! Terry called to purchase replacement hearing aids, and instead he is going to be blessed by this company with so much more!!!!! That's why I'm writing this, so maybe just maybe we can reach the goal of $5,000 before the middle of June when they are going to present Terry with a check to match this funding!!!! As we all can imagine,, $10,000 (combined) is still only an exceedingly small drop in what seems to be an endless bucket, but what an amazing awe inspiring start and hand up we would be giving to a much deserving gentleman!
To Those Whom Have Donated:
I'm so excited for the opportunity b witness so much love and generosity pouring out from all of you. It is a truly breath taking experience. So many of you have already donated! It is because of you that we have gotten this far with the intended goal. To say “Thank You” seems so inadequate. When it comes to conveying just how we feel about you and what you've done/are doing for Terry, I am at a loss for the right words!!! I feel like a simple or generic “Thanks” is not enough. I mean how do you convey to someone that what they have done for someone else was unexpected, gracious and more than generous?
Conclusion:
We understand that this is an unusual time for everyone, however as society slowly returns to normal, please look in your hearts to help this man in any way that you can, every bit of help will count, even if its simply reading this and sharing it with others. Terry is a phenomenal person and deserves to have his life back to normal. Please help.
