In 2017 our daughter Emma was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma. She had a tumor wrapping her thoracic spine that left her paralyzed from the chest down. She also ended up with an 18 month treatment protocol that included multiple surgeries, six rounds of chemotherapy, a stem cell transplant, 20 cycles of proton beam radiation, and six additional rounds of immunotherapy, all of these treatments and hospitals in Minneapolis and Rochester. At the end of this nasty treatment regimen, Emma’s end of treatment scans finally told us that she had no evidence of disease left in her body, allowing us to go back home and back to a normal life.
We quickly learned that our new normal was much different than before Emma was diagnosed with cancer. Our existing home was an old two story farm home that was not wheelchair accessible. Our doors and hallways were too narrow, entries had steps and no ramps, our bedrooms were up a narrow flight of stairs, our driveway was gravel and we had no wheelchair friendly sidewalks, and we did not have suitable space for her medical equipment.
This is when we were approached by Chelsie and Marc from MAK, who reviewed all of these challenges, and committed to making our accessible dream home a reality for us. In the summer of 2019 MAK Construction held a fundraiser golf tournament to raise money for this project and by August ground was being broken for our new addition. We worked with Zach on drawing up realistic accessible blueprints, and Mike and the entire team at MAK stayed in communication with us as changes were needed and the remodel moved forward.
Even into the pandemic, we instantly had access to all of MAK’s resources. It was more than their expert staff, but also their entire team of subcontractors that included excavation, concrete, framing, insulation, finishing, flooring, electrical, plumbing, heating and cooling, and even landscaping. Many of these subcontractors were able to donate their work and even find suppliers to donate or provide needed items at cost, which was integral to allowing us to get the job done.
We are now back into our home, Emma has a dedicated physical therapy room, an accessible bathroom with a roll in shower and wheelchair accessible sink, all of our halls are wide enough for Emma, she has an island sink in our kitchen at tabletop level, we have an attached heated garage for loading and unloading out of the elements, a concrete driveway that allows Emma to access her play area outside, new 36” doors, and wheelchair ramps into two entries of the home.
We cannot thank Marc Chelsie and the team at MAK, their group of subcontractors, and the community enough for your empathy, generosity, and outpouring of support for our family. We are truly humbled and are so happy that Emma’s paralysis will no longer limit her accessibility in her own home.
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