TOLEDO, Ohio — A disabled U.S. Navy veteran from Toledo can now enjoy a new deck after contacting Call 11 for Action to get help with her situation.
In March, Kallie Morris, 44, told Call 11 for Action that the U.S. Department of Veteran's Affairs (VA) installed new railings on her deck in 2023, but those railings were nailed onto an existing, collapsing deck.
"They (the VA) told me they could do the railings, but they couldn't do the porch," Terri Jackson, Morris' mother and caregiver, said. "I told them that was ridiculous."
Morris is blind in one eye, suffered a stroke and has dementia.
She and Jackson said the conditions arose about three years after Morris left the Navy in 2006 and doctors suspect they are a result of her work on radioactive bombs while she was stationed in California.
"They think what happened was one of them just leaked," Morris said.
Her family was concerned that Morris would hurt herself trying to walk across the deck, especially since she is partially blind.
The VA told Call 11 for Action it doesn't handle what it called "home maintenance issues," and there is nothing it could do.
Morris would have spent the summer on the dangerous deck, but after the story aired in March, Call 11 for Action received a call from a local contractor who wanted to help.
He did not want to be on camera and wanted no credit.
"He didn't want to be where he was seen or you talk about him as far as his name," Jackson said. "And he just wanted to do it because she was a veteran and he told Kallie everything was going to be alright and it was free."
The contractor told Call 11 for Action that the deck was built on blocks and ready to collapse, a real safety issue.
He obtained a proper permit, took the deck apart, reused the railings provided by the VA, and placed new post holes, pads, beams, and floor joists along with new steps.
"He said that everything was donated, and I'd like to thank the people who donated anything to do with this," Jackson said. "I'd like to thank them from the bottom of my heart."
Morris is grateful for what is now a safe and stable deck.
"I told him, 'Thank you, too,' and he was like, 'I would do it for anybody,'" Morris said. "I said, 'Well, you didn't do it for anybody. You did it for me.'"
The contractor told Call 11 for Action that he has been in the trades for 45 years and is "blessed." He felt compelled to step up and help after seeing Morris' difficulties and thanked Carter Lumber and Bluebox Dumpsters for their donations, as well as Kallie for her service.
Call 11 for Action would like to thank him for being such a generous member of our community.
Editor's note: A previous version of this story identified the anonymous contractor as someone who also is a veteran. This has been corrected and we apologize for this error.
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