Steve and Jeanne’s amazing and heartwarming story of college sweethearts reuniting after 42 years has gone worldwide. Just Google “Steve and Jeanne” and you will find innumerable stories, newspaper articles, and television interviews. Here is a short video done by Jane Pauley and Steve Hartman of CBS that will give you the background on their incredible story.
Watch this video on Facebook
https://fb.watch/poac2T34kb/?mibextid=o9LsN
While Steve is in a much better place and his condition and life have improved greatly, he is bedridden and confined to a 10’x12′ bedroom with only short trips in a wheelchair down the adjacent hallway. A 4-step stairway stands between Steve and the expansion of his world to the beautiful patio and outdoors, the trees and sounds of birds, and even the deer that frequently visit in the backyard. A wheelchair lift is needed to move Steve down those 4 steps and open up his world to a more normal life with his new bride and caregiver, Jeanne.
Here is more on Steve’s story . . .
Down on his luck…homeless on the streets of Chicago…left in a nursing home without an advocate. Steve would not give up. His resilience and fortitude were amazing. Eighteen years he fought in the nursing home to survive, through two strokes and a left leg amputation. No one to encourage this former teacher of 4 foreign languages or give him guidance. Rehab was sparse. Bedridden, he developed severe contractures of his right hip and knee. He lost the ability to stand or walk. And then the unimaginable and unexpected happened. Jeanne, the love of his life, found him. Forty-two years had gone by with no contact. Jeanne was a retired nurse. Without hesitation he agreed to go live with her in Oregon. Over the past two and a half years Steve has blossomed thanks to great care and love. His world has changed for the better, but he needs assistance to make it more “normal”. Steve needs a platform lift called a Flex-Step to get his wheelchair down four stairs to a more desirable level of the home and access to a ramp which leads outside. This is a safety issue in an emergency as it takes 6 able bodied people to carry him out of the house. Unfortunately, this lift is not considered a medical necessity by Medicaid or the medical community. Astounding but true. And being able to access different parts of the house and the outdoors would broaden Steve’s horizons tremendously. It would be a huge boost to his psychological & emotional well-being. Family and friends of Stephen Watts are raising money for the nonprofit Help Hope Live to fund uninsured medical expenses associated with Catastrophic Illness and hopefully help Steve obtain this particular lift. Stephen has chosen to fundraise for Help Hope Live in part because Help Hope Live assures fiscal accountability of funds raised and tax deductibility for contributors. Contributors can be sure donations will be used to pay or reimburse medical and related expenses. To make a tax-deductible donation to this fundraising campaign, please click on the Give button.
For more information, please contact Help Hope Live at 800.642.8399.
Thank you so much for your helping Steve to enjoy the rest of his years and live a more normal life he was deprived of for so long.
