| Firefighters, family join to help paralyzed teen |
| Published
09/11/2006
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September 2006 , Accessible Housing
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Unrated |
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Volunteers double size of Cottage Hill home
Jenni Vincent
@PensacolaNewsJournal.com
It was a summer day at Pensacola Beach spent with family and friends.
Cory Jackson dashed across the sand, dived head-first into the Gulf of Mexico and hit his head on a sand bar.
When
he resurfaced, he couldn't move. Three Vertebrae were broken. His
spinal cord was bruised. He couldn't move from the chest down.
From that day forward -- July 3, 2005 -- Cory would be paralyzed.
Fourteen
months later, Pensacola Fire Department Capt. Terry Jackson and his
wife, Patty, are thankful to have their son, now 19, at their Cottage
Hill home, north of Cantonment.
Terry Jackson, a firefighter for
21 years, said it's been a tough year. But the generosity of his
co-workers -- especially members of Pensacola Fire Department Local 707
-- as well as other volunteers and friends has helped more than he can
express.
The biggest gift: The volunteers more than doubled the
size of the Jackson family's home. It's now totally accessible to Cory,
who uses a wheelchair, has only limited use of his arms and has very
little use of his fingers.
"It has just been unreal the way
people have come together to help us, even folks and businesses we
didn't really know. It just seemed that when we needed something, the
telephone would ring and it would be taken care of," Terry said.
After
the accident, Cory, accompanied by his mother, spent 2½ months
at the Shepherd Center, a Rehabilitation facility in Atlanta.
Jackson could not imagine how Cory would function once he returned home.
"When
he first came back on Sept. 23, 2005, we used the living room as his
bedroom. But there really wasn't much room for him to use a
wheelchair," Terry said. "Our plan was to enclose a small patio to make
more room, but that all changed after my union brothers got involved."
The
volunteer co-workers undertook a major renovation that increased the
size of the Jackson home from 1,200 square feet to 2,500.
"These guys certainly put plenty of sweat equity into improving our home and lives," Terry said.
The new construction framing was completed in just one day, thanks to the help of 30 firefighters, he said.
Interim Fire Chief Mel Waters said the project "just seemed like the right thing to do."
"Terry
Jackson is a second-generation firefighter," Water said. "Firefighters'
job is to help people. When one of our own is in distress, we like to
step up and help them."
Terry's five brothers-in-law -- John
Quina, Eddie Murphy, Bob Pilgrim, Mason Cummins and Jim Smith -- also
worked hard on the project.
Cory's spacious new bedroom includes a large bathroom with a roll-in shower that has plenty of room for his wheelchair.
"I knew it would be first-class, whatever they decided to do," Terry said.
Cory
moved into his new bedroom and bath in May. Just being able to take a
shower, after many months of mere sponge baths, was a real treat for
his son, Terry said.
"Let me tell you -- he used all 65 gallons of hot water in that new tank with his first shower," he said.
Although things will never be exactly the same, life is returning to somewhat of a routine for the Jackson family.
Cory
is not yet ready to talk publicly about his injury, his father said.
But the young man and fiancee Kim Lizardi are looking forward,
attending Pensacola Junior College and hoping to launch a joint career,
perhaps in business.
"Since Cory likes animals so well -- he
already has a lizard, turtle and rabbits -- I think maybe they could
open a pet store," Patty Jackson said. "The main thing is that we never
give up hope and that he keeps moving forward in life."
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