We’re very appreciative of our veterans for their dedication and sacrifice to our country. However, instead of just giving them a ‘thank you,’ sometimes they could use a helping hand in return.
When one elderly veteran was in need of some assistance, his Washington state community rallied around him and improved his quality of life with some very inspiring acts of service.
Lewis Harris was living alone in a run-down house.
The veteran, who is in his 80s, had been living alone for a while. He was beginning to feel isolated, but as he told King5 News:
“I definitely don’t want to be a burden to anyone.”
That inclination may have kept him from reaching out to his community sooner, but his house was becoming hard to live in.
He was living alone in Redmond, Washington and his house was in a state of deterioration. Although he was getting by, things started to get worse for him.
Harris’ health began to decline, and he realized he needed help.
As happens to pretty much all of us, at a certain point, Lewis Harris realized he couldn’t take do everything on his own. Although he had served in the military and accomplished a lot in his life, he needed to begin to ask for help.
So he did, starting with asking a grocery store clerk for help getting home. Harris had been running errands and realized he couldn’t remember how to get back to his house. Thankfully, the clerk decided to call the police for assistance.
Once the officer, Officer Nazariya, showed up at the store, Harris was able to talk about his situation a little bit and explain that he just needed some help.
Harris explained that he couldn’t remember how to get home and that he couldn’t see. From this moment, it became clear to the officer that the veteran was a community member in need of a helping hand.
The officer offered to bring him home.
Once Officer Nazariya saw the state of Lewis Harris’ decrepit house, he knew he had to call in reinforcements. He didn’t want to leave Harris living in that home. Fortunately, Officer Nazariya is married to an interior decorator.
The police officer and his wife began to rally around him.
He managed to get her to come over to Harris’ house, and the couple embarked on a complete house remodel.
Other people in the community started to pitch in as well.
Once other businesses heard Harris’ story, they donated a bunch of supplies to help create his dream house. Additionally, they also sent in more people to help with the physical labor.
With the efforts of community members pitching in, Lewis Harris’ house was renovated into his dream residence. His living quarters were transformed into a space that honored his life and military service, with a wall that worked as a gallery of his service. He also got some dream-looking quartz countertops that will hold up for a long time.
Lewis Harris was emotional getting to see his beautiful new home.
He did not watch many of the transformations taking place over time, so when he finally had the house revealed to him, he couldn’t help but feel some tears coming on. This kindness also renewed his commitment to being the best person he can be.
He said to King5 News:
“It almost brought me to tears, okay. I had a couple of drops there, it really touched my heart and my soul…There’s nothing I can do to ever repay them other than just be a good American and try to help other people.”
It’s heartwarming to see a community helping each other, especially when there’s someone who desperately needs a hand.
Watch the video below to see this touching story unfold!
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