By KIMBERLY ACEVEDO
She couldn't get in and out of the house because she has spinal stenosis, Silverstein said. But with the new ramp, her mother heads straight out the door. She has a little deck and then the ramp. It's fabulous.
After Cassiere's last stay at Long Beach Medical Center, the Out Reach Program told Silverstein about C.U.R.B.'s Fantasy Program, she said. The Out Reach Program called C.U.R.B. founder and president Jim Conlon for help.
She needed a ramp to make her house accessible, Conlon said. We buy the lumber and we get the volunteers to tap it together.
C.U.R.B.'s Fantasy Program has provided close to 400 fantasies within the last ten years, and 15 this year alone. The Fantasy program has provided people with wheelchairs, ramps and special equipment that insurance companies won't pay for, Conlon said. While everybody is out there waiting for the cure, they are providing the care.
Little guys like us are trying to put a Band-Aid on a huge wound, Conlon said. Local #66 volunteers completed the ramp within half a day, Conlon said.
For C.U.R.B., a tax-exempt organization, it's just another fantasy successfully completed. But for Cassiere, the ramp opens another door and has made a large difference in her life. While it used to take her some time to get out of the door, now, It's so easy for me to get out of the house. It's beautiful.
