WEST POINT, Utah — When Halloween ends, Christmas begins for Amy Rackham and her father, David Arnold. It’s a reminder for the Davis County residents to celebrate a little bit every day, because you never know when it could be the last.
“It’s just a day-by-day on how he does," Amy said about her father. "He stumped doctors; he stumped us. We expected him to live a couple of months, and it’s been 19 years as of September."
Nineteen years ago, David suffered a brain aneurysm, and for nearly two years, his daughter has been his main caretaker. Although they love the holidays, life likes to give them some unexpected gifts.
“The first of the year, the washing machine went out. Then it was the water heater started to leak, and then it was the stove and oven," she shared. "It was like, 'OK, let’s stop. We’ve got to get these fixed.'"
Rackham reached out to the county to ask what she could do before the cold weather kicked in, and was referred to Habitat for Humanity. The organization's Critical Home Repair program came to the home within a matter of months and fixed problems she didn’t even see.
“We’re trained to go into the home and do a comprehensive assessment and base that on the occupants and how it affects their day-to-day, quality of life, just the things they have to go through on a daily basis,” explained Habitat for Humanity Critical Repairs Director John Russell.
The program provides emergency repairs for lower-income households. They currently have more than 60 applications pending, but need about $300,000 in additional funding to help with the urgent need before temperatures drop.
Along with funds, Habitat for Humanity is also seeking help from manufacturers and contractors.
“We’ve identified 20-30 that we feel like are really emergent. Things that need attention now, before winter sets in and the temperature drops," said Development Director Kristina Nelson. "Funding is always a challenge. We do have federal grants, we have county funding, but it’s not nearly enough."
Although there’s still more work to be done on David’s 1973 home, Amy hopes others can receive the same gift of stability ahead of the holidays.
“This has been like the biggest Christmas gift ever is what I feel," she said. "I’m still in shock with all of this. I haven’t come to reality with all of this because it was just asking for help with a water heater. That’s what it was. Just asking for that help.”
