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For as long as I can remember, my parents, Gini and Steve White, have been the most caring and giving of them all. Now, its time to take care of the people that took care of many others before themselves.
I had been living in the White house in my hometown of Lansdale for my entire life. We always had a strong family life and through tough times and good times, we survived as a family. When I was growing up my father, Steve White, was an owner/operator truck driver. My mother, Gini White, worked at the office at Walker on Green Street, and every day she would walk us to school, being we couldn’t afford a car for the family. On those special rainy days, we would sometimes be able to get a cab ride to school. They were far and few between. Then after school, we would walk back to my mother’s office and hang around until my mother, Gini, walked us to the baseball/softball fields for games or practice. After that, we would walk home and do homework and housework. She is the hardest working person I have ever met in my life.
Through those times, my father would be bouncing in the truck, making deliveries of coil steel. That bouncing around, added to the spinal issues he was born with and the spinal fusion at 21, ended up making him retire at the age of 38. At that point forward, my family would watch his body deteriorate along with the house we were living in. My father, who never collected unemployment or disability, stayed at home and tried to take care of the house as much as he could.
While that was going on, a lot of band aids happened around the house. I will say I learned a lot about home improvements from having to do literally everything in that house. Regardless, with a sole income of 1 parent, not to mention a woman in a man driven industry, things were tough. Through those tough times, I have watched my parents take what little money they had and send it out to charity’s, family members, homeless, and many others. If my mother was able to afford her only vice, bingo and she had a great bingo night, her winnings were always spread out to not only them but others.
Once us kids were moving on to bigger and better things, our parents were always by our side. Graduating school, getting married, having kids just happened as life always does. Then some bad news came to us on night. My father, who was 61 at the time, had a massive stroke. Things were very sketchy to as his recovery and I remember being very scared at the time. I knew my parent house had been not getting the attention it needed so I thought I would go over while my father was in recovery and see what needed to be done. I walked in the front door and had the biggest shock of all. The house I knew and loved so much, was deteriorating. Since I had kids, my parents would come to my house, therefore, never seeing theirs in 4-5 years. With that, I had a breakdown. I saw the immense amount of work that needed to be completed and had figure it was time to take care of it by myself.
While my father was in recovery, I was able to replace the lateral line of the sewer system as that had been an issue my whole life. Then weekend by weekend, I tried getting over there but there is no end in sight. My father, who is now half paralyzed, lost half to three quarters of his speech, and my mother, Gini, take care of the house on their own. I go over as often as I can but with no money being able to do repairs, the house is still deteriorating. They are only able to use the middle level of the house as the upstairs has been under construction and never completed. The basement has been cleaned but the basement utilities such as electrical, plumbing, and other items are falling apart. My father has not been able to shower properly because the only bathroom is not having enough room for him along with the fact they can’t get the tub changed for him to use it. The list goes on and on but as a father, full time employee, Baseball Coach, house work of my own, I am just no able to give it the attention it requires.
With that said, I am hoping to get help. Help for not only me but my parents, Gini and Steve White. My father’s quality of life is poor and my Mother, Gini, is still working full time at age 67. Also, being the full-time caregiver to my father, Steve White. I am looking to get enough funding to get the services in the house up to par along with being able to renovate the bathroom for them. It would also be nice to see them have a shared bedroom again instead of choosing what wheelchair to sleep in. Please help me in making their lives a little more manageable.
Stephen White IV
I had been living in the White house in my hometown of Lansdale for my entire life. We always had a strong family life and through tough times and good times, we survived as a family. When I was growing up my father, Steve White, was an owner/operator truck driver. My mother, Gini White, worked at the office at Walker on Green Street, and every day she would walk us to school, being we couldn’t afford a car for the family. On those special rainy days, we would sometimes be able to get a cab ride to school. They were far and few between. Then after school, we would walk back to my mother’s office and hang around until my mother, Gini, walked us to the baseball/softball fields for games or practice. After that, we would walk home and do homework and housework. She is the hardest working person I have ever met in my life.
Through those times, my father would be bouncing in the truck, making deliveries of coil steel. That bouncing around, added to the spinal issues he was born with and the spinal fusion at 21, ended up making him retire at the age of 38. At that point forward, my family would watch his body deteriorate along with the house we were living in. My father, who never collected unemployment or disability, stayed at home and tried to take care of the house as much as he could.
While that was going on, a lot of band aids happened around the house. I will say I learned a lot about home improvements from having to do literally everything in that house. Regardless, with a sole income of 1 parent, not to mention a woman in a man driven industry, things were tough. Through those tough times, I have watched my parents take what little money they had and send it out to charity’s, family members, homeless, and many others. If my mother was able to afford her only vice, bingo and she had a great bingo night, her winnings were always spread out to not only them but others.
Once us kids were moving on to bigger and better things, our parents were always by our side. Graduating school, getting married, having kids just happened as life always does. Then some bad news came to us on night. My father, who was 61 at the time, had a massive stroke. Things were very sketchy to as his recovery and I remember being very scared at the time. I knew my parent house had been not getting the attention it needed so I thought I would go over while my father was in recovery and see what needed to be done. I walked in the front door and had the biggest shock of all. The house I knew and loved so much, was deteriorating. Since I had kids, my parents would come to my house, therefore, never seeing theirs in 4-5 years. With that, I had a breakdown. I saw the immense amount of work that needed to be completed and had figure it was time to take care of it by myself.
While my father was in recovery, I was able to replace the lateral line of the sewer system as that had been an issue my whole life. Then weekend by weekend, I tried getting over there but there is no end in sight. My father, who is now half paralyzed, lost half to three quarters of his speech, and my mother, Gini, take care of the house on their own. I go over as often as I can but with no money being able to do repairs, the house is still deteriorating. They are only able to use the middle level of the house as the upstairs has been under construction and never completed. The basement has been cleaned but the basement utilities such as electrical, plumbing, and other items are falling apart. My father has not been able to shower properly because the only bathroom is not having enough room for him along with the fact they can’t get the tub changed for him to use it. The list goes on and on but as a father, full time employee, Baseball Coach, house work of my own, I am just no able to give it the attention it requires.
With that said, I am hoping to get help. Help for not only me but my parents, Gini and Steve White. My father’s quality of life is poor and my Mother, Gini, is still working full time at age 67. Also, being the full-time caregiver to my father, Steve White. I am looking to get enough funding to get the services in the house up to par along with being able to renovate the bathroom for them. It would also be nice to see them have a shared bedroom again instead of choosing what wheelchair to sleep in. Please help me in making their lives a little more manageable.
Stephen White IV