PLEASANT VIEW, Utah - With the help of the Have a Heart home project, a family in need of a house fit for a person with disabilities was welcomed to its new home.
Melanie Parker's daughter Emylie was born with spina bifida, a birth defect in which the backbone and spinal canal don't close before birth, resulting in mobility issues.
In order to get around, Emylie can crawl, but she also uses a power chair and a manual chair. She needs constant care and Melanie says that getting a home that is wheelchair accessible would take a huge burden off their family.
The foundation was able to build a home to accommodate wheelchairs, both on the outside and on the inside.
"There was nothing like it walking in the day of the key ceremony and having her roll in the front door in her wheel chair. It was an incredible feeling," said Melanie. "The things I was most excited about is the ramp in the house and the sink because it makes her have more freedom in her own environment."
The Have a Heart program is part of the Northern Wasatch Association of Realtors and the Northern Wasatch Home Builders Association. In addition to building new homes for special needs families, they build significantly discounted homes for people with low incomes and military families.
