Wish Granted: A New Accessible Bathroom for Alice

Earlier this month, our Eugene team was honored to partner with Make-A-Wish Oregon to grant the wish of a local 18-year-old—a wish that transformed her home and the lives of her family. 

Alice lives with a rare genetic disorder and is unable to walk or talk. She relies on her parents’ help for self-care.

Alice’s dad Nick explains, “One of the things that’s the most challenging for us is getting her in and out of the shower. I work really hard to take care of myself so I can continue to take care of her, but one strained muscle and I’m out. Not to mention it’s dangerous carrying an 18-year-old back and forth. It’s risky and slippery.”

When our Eugene team was presented with the opportunity to remodel Alice’s bathroom into a wheelchair-accessible space, right away they felt compelled to help Alice and her family and signed on to do the Make-A-Wish project. What started as a somewhat daunting task given the timeline, evolved into a heartwarming few weeks of community generosity. 

“When you’re asked to perform a wish like this you’re not sure how you’re going to make it happen, but there are so many people in the community you can lean into,” said NK Eugene General Manager Matt White. “The building and design community really came together to support this local family. Everyone I told about this project wanted to be counted in.

Normally this type of project would take months,” he added. “But, everyone rallied and we had the shower operational within one week and completed the entire bathroom remodel in three weeks. From plumbing to drywall, to painting to fixtures, our community stepped up in a big way and it’s wonderful to see.”  

Matt and other members of our Eugene team worked with community partners like South Valley Plumbing, Eugene Plastering, Imperial Floorcoverings, Painters Cap, Fergusons, and PARR. Together, we not only gave Alice a wheelchair-accessible shower but an entirely new bathroom from floor to ceiling, all in just a few weeks.

“It gave us this renewed spirit and energy,” said Matt. “A big part of this was working for such a beautiful family. You could see the love in their home. They were so deserving of this.”

“What they did was so kind and so generous,” said Alice’s dad. “Our lives are forever changed. Thank you doesn’t seem like enough.”

“This April, we are also celebrating World Wish Day, the anniversary of the first wish that inspired our mission four decades ago,” said Kaitlyn Bolduc, VP of Marketing and Communications at Make-A-Wish Oregon. “Since that day, we’ve granted more than 5,000 local wishes to kids living in Oregon and SW Washington. Each wish is as unique and special as the child. Alice’s wish is such a beautiful example of this and how a community can come together to rally behind hope and healing to help turn a dream into reality. Thanks to our friends at Neil Kelly, not only are we delivering Alice and her family this essential hope, we are also bringing them greater safety, comfort, and security. This wish is truly transformative in every sense of the word.” 

Read more coverage from KEZI 9 in Eugene here: Make-A-Wish Foundation grants Eugene teen’s wish for a wheelchair accessible bathroom.