Hazel Malone

Rebuilding Together Greater Des Moines Fulfills the Ongoing Need for Home Modifications

Des Moines resident, Hazel Malone has worked hard her entire life. A 65-year-old widow, Hazel is still working full-time at Calvin Community Senior Center to support both herself and her great-grandson, Ryan, age 16. Hazel has acted as Ryan’s guardian for most of his life. Today, she is his sole caretaker as well. On December 31, 2015, Ryan was shot while messing around with a loaded gun with friends. The tragic accident left Ryan paralyzed from the waist down and confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

In order for Ryan to return home after rehabilitation, the house needed modifications to accommodate his wheelchair. During National Rebuilding Day, volunteers came together to build a wheelchair ramp, install a shower seat, show grab bars and reposition the front door. Volunteers went back out to the home to remove carpet and replace flooring further helping improve Ryan’s mobility around the home.

As a East High School student, the need to further improve Ryan’s mobility and independence around the home have increased. Rebuilding Together Greater Des Moines went back out to the home to make modifications to the bathroom. The volunteers replaced the existing oval toilet with a smaller toilet, removed the existing sink and replaced it with a floating sink, and installed additional shower rails and new door hinges to allow more room for him to maneuver in the bathroom.

 

The modifications Rebuilding Together Greater Des Moines has completed will allow Ryan to stay in the home until he graduates from High School.

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