There are very few people who go above the call of duty to make someone happy and Christian Barber is one of them.
Barber works as a mechanic at Phantom Motor Works, in North Smithfield, Rhode Island. Recently he spent several weeks fixing the wheelchair lift in Linda Abrants’ truck.
Abrants became a paraplegic after a gruesome accident 20 years ago. She met Barber several weeks ago while doing laps in her wheelchair for exercise as her gym was closed due to the pandemic.
Barber helped fill the air in Abrants’ tires, he also helped her out with the wheelchair lift that was installed on her truck.
Abrants says that it was poorly constructed and had broken on several occasions, and to make matters worse the company that made it, was poorly responsive to her.
She asked Barber to help her after it broke again. “I trusted him and it’s really hard to find a mechanic that you trust,” she said. “If a human put it together, a human can fix it,” Barber said.
At first, Barber couldn’t find the parts, but he worked hard for six weeks trying to fix it. “My wife is disabled so I understand the struggle. I don’t mind stepping in,” he said.
Barber was kind and charged Abrants a small fee for the job. “It’s the way I was brought up. One hand washes the other,” he said. This incident has reminded Abrants to be thankful. “It just shows there are good people in the world,” she said.