Paralyzed Waco Firefighter Needs Help, ‘Fixer Upper’ Stars Chip and Joanna Gaines Immediately Step Up
“Fixer Upper” stars Chip and Joanna Gaines and the entire Waco community have stepped up in a big way to help a severely injured firefighter in Waco, Texas.
The reality TV stars have agreed to pitch in and pay for the lumber needed to build a new, handicapped-accessible home for paralyzed firefighter Garth Goodwin and his family, KWTX-TV reported.
The Gaineses’ generous gift will help ensure that Goodwin and his family are in a fully-accessible home after he suffered a life-changing fall back in May that left him paralyzed from the neck down. It’s an injury that adds to the Goodwin family’s challenges, as they also have a 19-year-old son who was born without part of his brain and is in need of constant care, the outlet reported.
Goodwin became paralyzed after getting electrocuted and falling 12-13 feet off of a billboard platform, where he was working, according to Fox News.
It didn’t take long after the accident for local firefighters and other members of the community to step in and commit to helping the Goodwins build their new home. Almost immediately, most all of the materials were in hand to start breaking ground on the project, with scores of contractors and other experts pledging to devote their time to the inspiring effort.
One missing element, though? The lumber. But after the Gaineses learned of that need, they reportedly had an employee reach out to those behind the house project and committed to pay for it. Construction on the project is scheduled to begin in the coming days.
“Chip and Joanna have offered to pick up the last big ticket item,” Wes Waller, a contractor with UBI Products, told KWTX-TV. “They’re going to pay for the cost of the lumber.”
Waco firefighter Jay Jeffrey expressed gratitude to the Gaines family and to members of the local community, saying that the fire department is “thankful for Chip and Joanna and everyone that has stepped up to help our friend and his family.”
He added, “The positive impact they are making for Garth, Lisa and Cutter is immeasurable.”
About Billy Hallowell: Billy Hallowell has been working in journalism and media for more than a decade. His writings have appeared in Deseret News, TheBlaze, Human Events, Mediaite and on FoxNews.com, among other outlets. Hallowell has a B.A. in journalism and broadcasting from the College of Mount Saint Vincent in Riverdale, New York and an M.S. in social research from Hunter College in Manhattan, New York.
