Nobody wants to see a family member have to deal with health issues, but it's even more difficult when it's a spouse.
Usually, people see their husbands and wives as their partners in life, especially if they have kids. Because of this, they try to deal with all the positives and negatives of marriage, parenthood, and life together.
When illness or injury puts one parent out of commission, it can become even harder on the parent who is left to handle all the household tasks.
Jennifer Austin was thrilled that her husband, Donald, would finally be coming home from a long hospital stay. However, things didn't go exactly as expected when they arrived at their house.
Donald had his leg amputated in April 2017, and doctors released him days later.
When he got back to the house, Donald was disappointed to find that because of his wheelchair, he couldn't get up the steps to his home.
That's when Jennifer noticed a stranger circling the block in his truck.
[H/T: Love What Matters]
His wife, Jennifer, shared the following story on the Facebook page Love What Matters, where it immediately got a lot of attention.
In less than eight hours, her post had over 12,000 likes and 879 shares.
Jennifer wrote:
My husband has been in the hospital ICU more often than not since the beginning of January, for a multitude of issues.
This past Monday, he had his leg amputated to a little below his knee.
We were happy and a little surprised that they released him on Friday.
Then we got home… and I couldn’t get him in the house.
He didn't have the strength or balance yet, like he hoped, to use crutches to get up the steps.
There was no way I could get him up them with the wheelchair.
There became a critical point where he ended up down on the concrete steps, and even with his Mother's help, there was not enough strength to lift him up.
This stranger drove by during this time, and then circled back around slowly, looking in our direction.
Next, he pulled into our yard and asked if we needed help.
This gentleman picked my husband up off the steps and brought him into the house.
We were pretty emotional at that time and so grateful for this angel that took the time to help.
But it didn't end there.
The next morning, he came back with his Dad and asked permission to build a ramp.
This stranger saved the day for us twice within 24 hours.
He also brightened our spirits that had become increasingly dimmed over the difficult months.
Like a breath of fresh air he is, and there is a sense of optimism back in our home because of his kindness.
This stranger is now a friend….
His name is Steven Smith.
We can't thank him enough, and thank God for bringing him to us when he did.
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