Wheels of Love
Michigan Stories To Warm Your Heart and Lift Your Soul
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
POOL DIVE SMASHED HIS DREAMS IN AN INSTANT read the bold headlines on the Wednesday edition of the Detroit Free Press, August 1st, 2001, by staff writer Marsha Low. The story continued . . . He came to Michigan a year ago filled with eagerness and ready to capture the American dream.
All hopes of living that dream came suddenly crashing down on young, twenty- year-old, Karol. He was attending a local college with hopes of becoming a computer programmer, earning enough money for a nice home and travel - the American dream! Karol was visiting a friend, celebrating his new home and pool. His head struck the floor of the pool within a few seconds after diving in. Losing consciousness, he floated to the top of the water. Paralysis set in instantly. Karol’s lean, trim body was paralyzed from the shoulders down with no chance of recovery. His parents followed him to the United States from Poland. They had hopes of obtaining a better life here in this country. They said things were difficult in their homeland and jobs were few. They were desperately trying to find funding for Karl’s necessary treatment as his limited insurance had run out. After reading about Karol in the newspaper, I decided to make contact with him and see if I could help. I knew that the founder of the Wheels program, herself a quadriplegic, had taken loads of wheelchairs to Poland with her teams of therapists and volunteers. I also knew that at the age of seventeen, Joni Eareckson Tada, had experienced the same type of tragedy that Karol had. She broke her neck in a diving accident shortly after graduating from high school. I contacted Joni with hopes that we could get Karol into the same rehabilitation center she used while recovering from her ordeal. Unfortunately, without the proper insurance, help was not available. I would have to find another means of helping Karol, mentally and spiritually, if not physically. I was able to contact not only a physical therapist in Poland but also other Wheels team members who were preparing an outreach to the needy people suffering with disabilities in that area. I told them about Karol and how I wanted to help him and show him that he was not alone during these devastating days.
I met with Karol in his room at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak. I spoke with his parents through an interpreter from St. Mary’s College where Karol was a student. They were appreciative of my concern for their friend. His parents were warm, wonderful people, frightened for their son’s welfare. They were taking turns staying with Karol day and night . . . waiting and hoping for help that never came.
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
Why did I write this book? The answer is quite simple really. I want your life to be inspired and changed as mine has been. A year before my life was turned upside down, I began praying to God asking him to show me some work that would make a real difference in the world. I managed to set aside fifteen minutes early each morning to be still and quiet, just listening for guidance and direction. I was nearing the end of raising the last of our five children. I was ready to open a new door and focus on a larger family now. I wasn’t sure God was hearing my plea, but I remained faithful in my endeavor to listen until he was ready to reveal his plan to me. I was assured of his sense of humor when the answers started coming in the unlikely form of wheelchairs! My nephew Paul is married to a beautiful gal who is a wheelchair user. Mary Lou broke her neck in a tragic snowmobile accident at the age of twenty-one. They asked if I would look into collecting good usable wheelchairs in the Metro Detroit area to be gifted to needy people around the world. How difficult could this be? I said Yes, and decided from the beginning that I would involve every religious denomination, every race, and every background in this most worthy volunteer project. The stories and circumstances that follow are more than mere coincidences. They are examples of God’s plan being unfolded in miraculous ways. "For having walked here once
we remain forever!"
About the Author
Dorothy Pitsch is a native of Michigan. She grew up on a large dairy farm in the southwestern part of the state. Her adventurous spirit and openness to others led her down many paths throughout her life. Dorothy and her husband Ron have helped all five of their children attend college and lead very busy lives. Dorothy recently accepted a position as regional representative with Wheels for the World, a disability outreach of Joni Eareckson Tada. She has eight states under her direction as a volunteer coordinator. Her newly founded volunteer responsibilities have opened many doors. She is a Detroit WWJ News Radio Citizen of the Week award winner. She was featured on Detroit TV news channels and written about in the Detroit News and Free Press, as well as many Observer & Eccentric county newspapers. People call Dorothy from all over the country wanting to know how they can help with her program which changes lives around the world . . . not realizing that their own life will probably be the first to change.