NORTH FORT MYERS, Fla — An 82-year-old man who survived a severe car crash hasn’t been able to return to his North Fort Myers home for months because it’s been left unlivable after recent hurricanes. But now, more than 30 local businesses joined forces to get it back in shape.
Fox 4’s North Fort Myers Community Correspondent Austin Schargorodski works in the area daily, so he met with the team making this homecoming possible.
Watch what the crews told Austin:
Crews cleared the overgrown yard, hauled away debris, and gave the home a fresh coat of paint - all to give Andy Sievert a safe place to return.
They say he was heading home from work when another driver ran a stop sign and hit him full force, leaving him with a broken neck and spinal injuries. After three months in the ICU and more time recovering at his daughter’s house, Andy was ready to come home - but his house was still in ruins. His wife, Lori, says they never imagined they’d get to this point.
“He’s going to be in total shock. Because we’ve talked about this and he didn’t think we’d ever be able to get ahead of it. It just got so bad after the third hurricane and we didn’t know how we’d ever do it. At our age, you lose the strength to keep working,” said Sievert
In a video you could see the moment the crews revealed the makeover to Andy.
“Welcome home,” they yelled. “Whoa new floors,” Andy asked. “Nope, everything’s just been cleaned, we shined them. Everything in here’s been cleaned,” the crew replied.
Chaz Hambling says it’s all to give Andy a place where he can finally continue healing.
“There’s no amount of money that can replace how good this feels. When we give, we give from the heart, not for anything else. Everybody here has donated supplies, materials, their time and skills. We’re not taking a penny from the family. Our goal is to get Andy home so he can continue his recuperation with his wife,” said Chaz Hambling with SWFL Pool Pros.
