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Soldier Unexpectedly Gets Wish Granted for His Wife

U.S. Army/Special Forces Operator Christian McIntosh gets his wish granted – a brand new stair lift – for his wife, Susanna.

When Susanna McIntosh became unable to handle the stairs in her two-story home every day, she felt stuck. “You know, it’s dangerous for me to go up and down the stairs; so I just don’t do it anymore,” she said.

Susanna suffers from a Pilon fracture in her ankle, the cause of which came from a workplace injury over a year ago. “It’s like the worst kind of fracture that you could have,” she explained. “And the one thing that is uniform with that injury is that you just can’t do the stairs anymore.”

Susanna remarked that, although the thought of moving to a new one-level house had crossed her mind, she loved her Fayetteville home and honestly couldn’t imagine being anywhere else. She and her husband, Christian, also worried if they could even afford to move to a new location.

Then, Christian – a 27-year U.S. Special Forces Operator – was blown away to find out that a non-profit named Soldier’s Wish had granted a request to help out his family financially.

The best part is: They didn’t even apply.

“I had been talking about our situation with a friend named Pete at the care coalition I attend,” Christian recalled. “I told him the fact that Susanna’s quality of life had really gone downhill since she couldn’t use the stairs. Then, out of nowhere he calls me up and goes, ‘Hey, uh, your wish just got granted through this organization called Soldier’s Wish.’”

“I didn’t even know he put me in for it.”

Soldier's wish

Soldier’s Wish Logo

Soldier’s Wish, a Virginia-based organization, works to meet the needs of active-duty and veteran families so that they can lead normal and productive lives once back home. The organization also works to educate the public about the needs of veterans and active duty communities.

After the McIntosh family discovered they were chosen, the nonprofit flew Christian all the way out to Tulsa, where they presented him with a check to cover a stair lift for his wife.

“It’s amazing: a bunch of good patriots, like-minded people, just helping vets in the little niche of things that aren’t covered,” Christian described Soldier’s Wish. “It made me just want to give back, myself. I feel pretty blessed that this was able to happen for us.”

Professional installing stairlift

101 Mobility® of Fayetteville installing the stair lift

101 Mobility® in Fayetteville, a leading provider of mobility and accessibility equipment in the area, was able to install the stair lift for the McIntosh family. Owner Keith Barnhardt says meeting Christian and his family and hearing their stories was a dignifying experience.

“Serving those with a military background is obviously an honor,” said Keith. “We get a lot of energy through serving those who first served us.”

Keith added that “So many people just don’t know what is available to them to help them age in place and stay in their home. We’re just very happy to be able to provide this stair lift for the McIntosh family.”

“I’ll be able to maneuver around the house now… finally,” Susanna said, excited about the new stair lift in her home. “For me, getting this stair lift is huge.”

About 101 Mobility®

101 Mobility® is a full-service franchise business that specializes in mobility and accessibility equipment. Products include stair lifts, ramps, auto lifts, patient lifts, pool lifts, bath lifts, vertical platform lifts, and more. Visit 101Mobility.com to learn more.

101 Mobility® franchisees are supplied with geo-specific online marketing campaigns, in-person training, on-going support, and a proprietary business management platform. Visit 101MobilityFranchise.com to find more information about our franchise process.

About Soldier’s Wish

Soldier’s Wish, a non-profit organization based out of Virginia, was designed to meet the needs of veterans of military service and provide resources to meet those needs directly to the families, in order that such service members can lead normal and productive lives.

For more information on Soldier’s Wish and their mission, visit www.soldierswish.org/.

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