^{Francisco and his wife Jacquelyn with their new flooring.}

Oct 27, 2022

When Francisco arrived in the U.S. from Santiago, Chile he immediately began his new life in the states by working for Lee Construction in Cold Harbor, New York. He continued to remain a dedicated worker for the next 15 years, doing carpentry and roofing work.

In March of 2014, Francisco had a terrible accident at his job site. During a restoration project, he fell from the structure's rooftop, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down.

With injuries that changed the course of his life, Francisco had to adapt to his new life with his disability. He was met with many challenges, including the difficulty of navigating the space of his own home. Now requiring a wheelchair to navigate the space, his carpeted flooring made it difficult to traverse. This contributed to a great deal of stress on his shoulders. Which is a problem that is unfortunately all-too-common for manual wheelchair users.

When researching for potential solutions to solve these newfound challenges, Francisco and his wife Jaquelyn discovered the Joseph Groh Foundation. This foundation provides information, advocacy and financial support to people in the contracting industry who are affected by life-altering disabilities. Francisco and Jaquelyn contacted the foundation, hoping to gain some assistance with the challenge they were faced with.

Thanks to the support of the Joseph Groh Foundation and its generous sponsors, the foundation was able to replace the flooring in Francisco and Jaquelyn’s home, enabling it to be more wheelchair accessible.

After receiving their new flooring, the pair were elated. Thanking the foundation, Jaquelyn recalled their journey together arriving in the U.S. saying “We met shortly after he came to the U.S., and a few years later we adopted a beautiful newborn. Life was so beautiful for him and his job meant everything. Despite Worker’s Comp, it has been very difficult since his accident, and his shoulders were bothering him more and more. Thank you, thank you a thousand times, it’s like God has answered our prayers for help.”

Daikin is a proud supporter of The Joseph Groh Foundation. Francisco's story is made possible through the generous donations of the Foundation's sponsors. Light your beacon for others and become a Joseph Groh Foundation Luminary today.