CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Another veteran is getting some much-needed help this holiday season.
For some time, Army Veteran Mike Cantu hasn’t been able to walk out of his front door and down the steps due to some medical issues. He had spent two months in the hospital. Over the last month, he has started home health care.
On Wednesday, he was able to walk out his front door, down his brand-new ramp.
“Boy, I saw a grin and a big smile on him, and that make my day," Cantu's friend, Tony Arredondo, said. "Because I hadn’t seen that in a long time. He felt appreciated for his service and what he’s done for our country.”
Cantu goes to the same church and is a member of the Knights of Columbus with Arredondo. Cantu said after a conversation about his troubles with some other members, the idea just took off.
“I was telling Tony, I almost fell on my back porch because I have to carry everything in and I’m still very unstable," said Cantu. "I have an activity intolerance.”
Arredondo grabbed some of the Knights of Columbus to see if they’d help and consulted with someone who knows ramps.
“Everybody was on board wanting to help Mike," said Arredondo, Grand Knight of Council 9318. "And then, we had an individual that came up and helped us out with a monetary amount, Santa’s helper, that made this possible for us to get this done for him.”
Arredondo said Home Depot helped out with a discount on products as well.
Cantu said he’d been waiting a while from help from the Veteran's Affairs Office (VA) , but this gift came just in time for his birthday on Thursday and Christmas on Sunday.
“It means independence," he said. "It means a lot of safety for sure because, like I said, I almost fell on that other one. I built this porch 40 years ago when I first moved out here. It’s getting kind of wobbly, so this is a tremendous long overdue improvement.”
Arredondo said it means a lot to help because it's time to give back to someone who gave so much to his country.
Like the ramp, Cantu said the addition of the VA Clinic in Corpus Christi has been a huge benefit, helping to cut down on the trips he needs to make to Harlingen, his previous nearest clinic.
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