Help for the widowed and disabled

Today I got a phone call from Fox 17 asking to meet at Select Inn to visit with Kathy, who was told she has to be out of the hotel by Tuesday morning at 11 after they extended her stay from the original ouster date of Friday. Keep in mind, it is not about rent being paid as it is always paid. It is instead about cleanliness.

After interviewing Kathy, who talked about her urgent need of getting into the government assisted Westbrook Towers or else she will be on the street Tuesday, Matt Alvarez (Fox 17) spoke to the manager. After that talk, things changed.

You may recall, Kathy is the woman with Cerebral Palsy who lost her husband about 6 months ago. The two once lived in the hotel together.

In closing, Kathy will be allowed to stay at the Select Inn, enjoy their free breakfast for nightly guest as long as someone can volunteer to help with the following, perhaps a church small group project for the next 6 to 9 months?

1. Help with bathing (wheelchair bound)
2. Help cleaning her room
3. Paying for / delivering a small amount of groceries

Photo: Kathy listens intensely as the manager of the hotel on South Church Street talks to Fox 17.

When he was finally released from prison, he was a prisoner in his own body

When someone tells you they robbed 17 banks during their prime years… What’s your first thought? I guess mine was – Did you make a lot of money? My second thought… Sure, you can hop in my truck!

My friend Jerry and I were in Nashville when we met 64 year old Frank Webster. He talked about how he once robbed banks for a living while living in his hometown of Memphis, Tennessee. Of course, he only had to get caught once for him to receive a pay cut. Needless to say, getting caught also equals out of work.

Mr. Webster was all smiles and laughs. Hard to believe you could even smile after being in prison for so long and when you finally get released – you are literally an inmate trapped inside your own body.

Mr. Webster was known as inmate 00092428 when he spent the late 1980’s into the 2000’s locked up in West Tennessee. In 2014, he had a stroke while in prison.

After the stroke, Mr. Webster was transferred to the Lois M. DeBerry Special Needs Facility in Nashville. The specialized prison is for those with medical conditions, such as the aftermath of a stroke.

On December 29, 2017, just one day after his 64th birthday, he was released from prison. Finally, he was a free man. This would equal a wakeup call to a brand new world.

Nowhere to go he found himself on the streets of Nashville.

The right side of his body is about 75% paralyzed, so he scoots around on a wheelchair that was given to him. “I don’t have a doctor and I need help with stroke rehab,” he said with a thick mumble due to the stroke affecting his speech.

At night, Webster sleeps at the Nashville Rescue Mission. During the day, he watches cars go by while sitting quietly in his chair.

He pointed down the street suggesting there was a nonprofit he wanted to visit to get advice on where to go for help. It was obvious he could not make it in the wheelchair to 4th Avenue in downtown Nashville. So with a lift into the truck, thanks to Jerry Craddock, we headed towards his destination.

“Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it. ”

— Helen Keller