By Angela Marshall
Within minutes of entering the Connors' home earlier this month, Mr. Murphy knew that much more than a bathroom accessible to the handicapped was needed for this family of five, and offered to build an extension onto the house for free.
But the Connors' story did not begin that day. It began more than 13 years ago when Grace and husband James decided they wanted a child. For seven years, they tried everything modern medicine had to offer, and just when they were ready to give up -- by this time Ms. Connors was in her early 40's -- a miracle happened. A last-ditch in vitro attempt resulted in the fertilization of not one but three eggs. She was pregnant with triplets.
And everything was great until the sixth month. Following the traditional doctor's orders when a pregnancy involves multiple births, Ms. Connors stopped working in the fifth month but still felt healthy. A few weeks later, she developed toxemia, and the babies had to be delivered.
"To save my life, they had to be taken," Ms. Connors said at her home last week. "They were doing fine."
Three boys, weighing from 1.12 to 1.7 pounds, were born three months premature. In doctor-speak they picked up during the months of watching their boys struggle for life, the parents describe the physical challenges Jack, Nicholas and Samuel faced. A little more than six years later, there are still challenges ahead.
Jack and Nicholas have Cerebral Palsy. The bathroom Mr. Murphy was originally brought in to build is for Nicholas, who can walk only with the use of braces and arm crutches. Although the state allocated funds for the bathroom, getting contractors in to build it was a long process for the Connors family.
Nicholas also struggles with seizures and brain damage, according to Mr. Connors. "We're not sure to what extent."
Jack and Samuel are visually impaired because of problems with the retinal surgery most premature babies need, according to their mother. Samuel also has learning disabilities and behavior dysfunctions.
Although he is physically the healthiest, it has always been Samuel who demands the most attention, the Connors said. He still doesn't sleep through the night.
"He wakes up two or three times a night," Ms. Connors said. "And when he wakes up at 5 to 5:30, the world has to get up."
A little more than a year ago, the family moved to Baldwin from Queens Village in the hopes of gaining room for their growing boys. However, they underestimated the costs of construction for an addition and the mounting medical bills they are always facing. Full of energy and without adequate room for their therapy or play, the boys always seem to be everywhere. Ms. Connors said her salvation has been escaping for quiet moments on the front stoop.
"Bill met with the boys and decided that not only would we get the handicapped bathroom done, but the whole back of the house blown out so the boys would have room for the different things that they need," Mr. Connors said.
Hearing this blew the couple away. "These strangers come into our lives and they are just creating a miracle for us," Ms. Connors said.
When she asked Mr. Murphy and fellow contractor Andrew Sica why, Mr. Sica said that if he could make her children well, he would. With that goal out of reach, the men are helping in the best way they can.
"If everybody does their part, it's like a walk in the park," said Mr. Murphy, who has helped many other families. Each year he picks a special family that needs help and organizes fund-raisers to pay for construction materials and cajoles other contractors to donate their time.
Constructing the addition isn't Mr. Murphy's only gift. He is also willing to babysit. When he heard the couple hasn't been out much since they moved to Baldwin, he volunteered to take the kids for the night. "I'm a Vietnam guy," he said. "I can handle it."
Two fund-raisers have been planned to help pay for the Connors' extension. The first will be at MacArthur Park in Rockville Centre at 4 P.M. Dec. 17, and the second will be in Baldwin's D.J. Hudecks on Jan. 21. For more information, call (516) 546-2196.
According to Mr. Murphy, 100 percent of donations are given to the Connors family.
Donations can be sent directly to the Connors family by mailing to 2930 Verity
Lane, Baldwin, N.Y. 11510.
