RAYTOWN, Mo. – A family in serious need of a bathroom remodel, is now the winner of a special contest which will enable their 15-year-old disabled son to be more independent.
The old bathroom in the Wilson family’s Raytown home was a tight space for anyone. It definitely wasn’t designed for 15-year-old Brett Wilson who is in wheelchair because he has spinal muscular atrophy. The disease has robbed him of almost any movement in his arms and legs.
Just to use the bathroom, Brett has to be carried in by his parents Nick and Kristal because his chair won’t fit through the door.
That was life until now. The Wilson family won the Schloegel Design Remodel Company’s Big Splash Custom Bathroom Giveaway.
It’s a giveaway that the FOX 4 Love Fund and the FOX 4 Problem Solvers get involved with every year because it can be life changing to a family.
After two weeks of construction on the family’s only bathroom, FOX 4 Problem Solvers was there for the big reveal.
When company owner Jake Schloegel opened the bathroom door, Brett’s face broke into a smile.
“Oooh,” he said.
The bathroom is now wide enough to easily fit his wheelchair, plus there’s a roll-in shower, a heat lamp and a sink he can operate without help.
“Do you want to try the faucet?” Schloegel asked as Brett rolled up to the sink.
So what does Brett think of the bathroom makeover?
“The colors, the heat lamp, the mirrors, it’s great,” he said. “I can actually see myself in the mirror now.”
Dad Nick Wilson said Brett’s smile said it all, “You can just tell he’s fired up.”
A friend secretly nominated the Wilson family for the contest. The Wilsons say they will actually miss the workmen who have become almost like family members over the past two weeks.
“We just wanted to say thank you for everything,” Kristal Wilson told everyone gathered in the living room after the unveiling of the bathroom. “We could never have envisioned it turning out so perfect.”
And one more thing; Brett’s bedroom door is now automatic. For the first time, this high school student can close and open it by himself.
An open door that’s just one of the way’s Schloegel helped open his world.
