Community Comes Together To Build Wheelchair Ramp For New York Firefighter

Albany, New York, firefighter Josh Woodward, was caught up in a terrible medical situation where a cough introduced strep bacteria into a cut on his shoulder.

This led to a full-blown sepsis, a blood infection that can cause a bad immune response which can become “catastrophic,” which was in the case of Woodward, as doctors gave him only a 5% chance of surviving.

Woodward entered the hospital with a breathing problem and required intubation. His kidneys were beginning to fail and after 6 surgeries which cost him multiple fingers still did not help his condition. It was after his hand was amputated that he started getting better.

“He just was getting sicker and sicker and sicker,” his wife, Chelsea Woodward, said. “It forced our hand to go through with that surgery.” She added, “As soon as we (amputated), it was like his body could stop spending so much energy on the hand. As soon as it went, his numbers improved vastly.”

It wasn’t the end of his problems as he lost all 10 toes and developed a terrible open wound on his right heel. His kidney functions are restored now and Chelsea had prepared to take him home. She wrote on Facebook that “one day a friend of ours, Pat, asked us if Josh was going to need a ramp to get in the house.

“When I said, ‘Yes, I’m going to work on that soon,’ he told me he wanted to build it.” Two other men who owned construction companies also pitched in to help.

A local Lowe’s store got to know of the project, and its management decided to donate all the necessary supplies for it. They also purchased doughnuts and coffee for the workers and helped with the project’s construction.

Chelsea asked, “Have you ever such humanity at work? Have you ever seen such kindness from strangers? She added, “It’s impossible to not feel so grateful and taken care of despite all the trauma and stress. God is making his presence very well known in our lives right now.”

Lowe’s manager Eric Carne said, “This was a no-brainer when my store team was contacted by Pat, who we’ve done business with for years. Pat was ready to pay for the materials walking into the project, but when we caught wind of what and who it was for, I knew we wanted to help.

“I am proud of the fact we could be a part, even if a small part, of your families recovery and truly remarkable story. I wish you the best, and please let me know if you need help with any other projects to make sure Josh is as comfortable as possible.”

This is such an incredible story of the whole community rallying around a family that had been through its fair share of trials, it has restored our trust in humanity.

Watch the beautiful moment when Josh Woodward visiting fellow firefighters.

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