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Colorado family finishes home for son with disability with help from community

Posted at 9:56 PM, Jul 03, 2020
and last updated 2020-07-04 04:19:42-04

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MEAD, Colo. -- After nearly a year of work, a Colorado family has finished rebuilding their home to meet the needs of their disabled son and they couldn't have done it without dozens of volunteers and $134,000 in donations.

Denver7 met the Crane family last September. They were overwhelmed, trying to remodel their 110-year-old home on their own.

Their son Isaac has spinal muscular atrophy. His wheelchair was a tight fit down the hallways of the old home and couldn't get him to the bathroom.

Daily life was difficult for Isaac and his family.

"After the story aired there was a huge influx of people from big companies to small neighbors and people who would donate time money and materials," Isaac's father, Jeremiah Crane, said.

The Cranes moved back into the home this June.

Today, a concrete path makes way for Isaac's wheelchair to move from the van to the front door. The hallways have been widened. The bathroom is big enough for his Hoyer lift. And a small elevator carries Isaac between floors. In his room he has his first 'big boy bed' with a sink in the room. An added convenience for his nurses.

"We don’t have to inflate a bathtub anymore to bathe him in the kitchen," Crane said. "I think it’s more than what we dreamed of."

When the pandemic hit, only one company dropped out of their commitment but an anonymous donor picked up the bill for the lift.

"My wife was in tears from so many of the people who showed up and donated," Crane said.

Denver7 viewers raised $1,600 through our Contact7 Gives fund which was used to help the family with a Home Depot bill.

The Cranes have a few things to paint and some electrical to finish up, but they now have a home their son can have a normal life in.

"I would like to say thank you to you of course Jessica and 7 News and everybody that saw the story and came out and helped."