The house was a disaster. There were three bedrooms: one on the first floor that was 6’x9’ and two in the attic that were 8’x10’ with low dormer ceilings. The walls throughout the house were covered in cheap dark paneling; the electricity was ancient; the floors were simply plywood. There was one bathroom, accessed only through the first floor bedroom. And there was a huge hole in the dining room ceiling. I won’t even get into the plumbing and heating systems. It was truly a home renovation nightmare.

Anyhow, despite the legion of problems inside, the outside was ideal. On their property were tons of trees, a beautiful creek, and a little prayer grotto. Plus, their two acres were surrounded by 900 acres of state protected forestry reserves. Brad figured he would make all the necessary repairs and add on to the house over the next couple of years, making it more habitable for their brood. In the meantime, the boys would have more than enough room outside to make up for the lack of room inside.

Unfortunately, in March of 2004, not long after they moved, Brad experienced massive health problems. His kidneys failed and so did his heart. Work on the house was put on hold before it ever really began. Finally, at 3:30 in the morning on Christmas Day, the family got a phone call. A kidney was available for Brad. The transplant took place that afternoon, and within a week he was home.

But by the middle of January, it became clear that the transplant wasn’t taking. Brad went back into the hospital and began the rejection treatment. On Wednesday, January 26, he was scheduled to return home. That morning, however, he experienced a bad reaction to the rejection drugs. A seizure sent him into septic shock. Two days later he was dead. He was 36. He left behind his wife Victoria, then eight months pregnant, a daughter Veronica, age 13, and sons Joseph, Lewis, John, Anthony, and Ignatius (ages 11, 9, 7, 5, and 2). Ignatius, the two-year-old, has Downs Syndrome.

With the birth of the new baby (another boy, Bradley Edward after his father), Ignatius’ needs, and so many other children to care for, going back to work was not really an option for Victoria. She was just barely left with enough money to raise the children and provide for their education, nothing more. There was certainly not enough to pay for the work the home needed or the addition. Still, she didn’t want to leave the property that had meant so much to her husband. That’s where we came in.

Her friends and family decided that we would come up with the funds to add on to the house. What we couldn’t pay for, we would do ourselves. Needless to say, we’ve done a lot. Work on the first floor was completed a few months ago. With all of the volunteers, it took less than two weeks to paint all the rooms, replumb, rewire, fix holes, add molding, and do a complete kitchen remodel. It wasn’t a fancy remodel like most of us do on our own homes, but it made a huge difference.

Then, five weeks ago, work on the upstairs addition began. We took off the whole top floor and replaced it with 4 bedrooms and a bathroom. We did demo, framing, roofing, drywalling, wiring, HVAC, and painting in less than four weeks. Right now, we’re doing the finish carpentry and scheduled to be done with everything but the siding and the bathroom by next Monday night. The siding will happen in August after Victoria and the kids move back in. Work on bathroom will begin once we’ve come up with some more money. Excepting those two last projects, the whole addition will have been completed in six weeks.

Not only has the project been finished in record time, but we are still on-budget. For those familiar with house rehabs and building, those two facts are nothing short of miracles. The whole process has been an amazing experience for me and all those involved. It is beautiful to see a community come together like this and give so generously of their time and money. The Fallons are the most loving, most joyful family I have ever met, and even the loss of their father has not changed that. Those of us involved in this project feel truly blessed to be able to help them out.

It’s funny, I’ve spent years fixing up homes I’ve lived in, and although I was grateful for the skills I acquired in the process, I never appreciated their full worth until I was able to use them to serve others—and by serve I mean more than just helping a friend paint a room or build a fence. I mean doing something for someone who could never afford or do work that is absolutely necessary. Also, seeing the way the family has born the loss of their father and real want, with such grace and dignity, puts all of my own restoration battles in perspective.

Anyhow, you can see some of the progress we’ve made on the upstairs addition at www.thefallonproject.com. We’ll keep updating with more pictures as work gets done. I’ve also attached a picture of the family. It was taken last July, seven months before Brad’s death. The kids are so darn cute, and it’s always good to have faces to put with names. Please keep them and this project in your prayers.

Blessings,
Emily Stimpson