Plumber James Anderson went viral for one of his many good deeds back.
In this case, it was because he repaired the boiler of a 91-year-old woman dying of leukemia.
But the real good deed was that he did it for free.
Helping the elderly
Anderson has done free work for elderly people in need for years. In fact, he set up his company, DEPHER (Disabled and Elderly Plumbing and Heating Emergency Response), which was formed in March 2017 after he saw an elderly man being ripped off by another repairman.
“It got me thinking about other elderly and vulnerable people — we need to do something more to help the people who need it most,” Anderson said in a phone interview with CNN.
He acknowledged that the elderly often want to stay independent and hate to ask for assistance, but there are just some issues that need to be addressed – like a broken boiler.
Going viral
After Christine Rowlands received the bill for her mother’s boiler, she decided she would post the heartwarming act of kindness to Facebook.
The total for a service that typically costs £480 (or over $600) was $0.
She explained:
“Went to mum’s yesterday and big drama boiler was leaking and I phoned my sister Delta who managed to contact a plumber’ James Anderson.’ He was just dropping someone off near to mum’s and called in to fixed the boiler. I asked how much for the cost he said he would email me the invoice…”
The invoice was accompanied by the message:
“No charge for this lady under any circumstances. We will be available 24 hours to help her and keep her as comfortable as possible.”
Anderson told the press the woman would have “free plumbing for life.”
Anderson posted a video of the new boiler, saying:
“Christine’s mums boiler is now being installed for her while she is at the hospital.
She will have a lovely surprise when she returns home.
Full lifetime warranty
Full lifetime servicing and gas safety
Full lifetime home maintenance package
24 hour callout service to help in any way we can.
To such a lovely lady it has been a humbled experience and she is now family.”
Rowlands and Anderson have remained friends even though her mother passed shortly after.
His own struggles
After helping thousands of elderly people over the years, the pandemic brought Anderson his own troubles.
After all, it’s hard to fund that kind of charity.DEPHER relies for the most part on donations and crowdfunding. Anderson has also received £2,000 from the Duchy of Lancaster Benevolent Fund, the Queen’s charity.
After all, he needs to cover the cost of supplies, and every hour of labor he gives away is one he can’t charge for.
“As long as I have enough money to fill up the tank in my car, I will be there to try and help the people who need it.”
In November, he told the Lancashire Times:
“We gave out £16,000 worth of PPE and almost 7,000 food parcels during the first lockdown. We also did surprise birthday parties for children, 30 of them. We were paying bills for people who couldn’t afford to pay and we did about nine free boilers as well as sorting bathrooms for those hit by rogue traders.”
In need of his own help
Now, it’s Anderson who could use a hand. He’s anxious. The second-hand shop he was using to fund his free services shut down during the pandemic.
“I am just hoping, and praying and wishing we do get through…Sometimes I wake up three or four times a night with anxiety because I don’t know what is going to happen.”
For now, DEPHER is operating at reduced capacity and has stopped free boiler installations, but Anderson hopes that’s temporary. He’s now using crowdfunding sites like GoFundMe to help raise more funds to keep doing what he’s doing.
What a kind soul proving there is still so much good in our world! Learn more in the video below!
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