A Real Life "While You Were Out"

Sutherland House Before Renovations
Originally uploaded by David B..

This is a real life "While You Were Out" story from Murray, Utah.

Randy Sutherland, a recently Diagnosed ALS patient, decided he wanted to take his wife on a Hawaiian vacation that they had always dreamed of before his disease progressed too far. (Their first real vacation in more than 20 years of marriage.) Most people diagnosed with ALS live for only 2-5 years.

Randy decided to also withdraw some funds from his retirement account, and arranged with some friends from his church to have some rennovations done to their home, as a surprise for his wife while they were away.

When his friends and neigbhors saw the condition of their home, they decided to do much more than the few repairs that Randy had budgeted for.


(This is the House After the Renovations)

The house was basically "gutted", and re-done inside and out. New paint, flooring, electrical fixtures, marble countertops, and appliances were all included. New stucco on the exterior, a garage replaced the carport, and new landscaping and vinyl fencing.

Numerous people from the church and community helped with the labor, and many businesses all stepped up to donate skilled craftsmen, materials and appliances.

Needless to say, Randy's wife was not the only one surprised and they returned from their trip!

You Can read more by going to Randy's Web Site here.