Helping a man for whom every breath is precious

Written by Callan Lavery

Thomas is a 76-year-old man in ill health. Due to the demands of his previous jobs and exposure with asbestos, Thomas has a lot of trouble with his lungs, and must always have oxygen nearby. He has been in his current house for more than 2 decades, but can no longer look after it due to his health conditions. Thomas is currently on the wait-list to move to a smaller 1-bedroom house that will be easier to upkeep, but the wait-time is unknown. 

This leaves Thomas with the issue of maintaining his current home. His housing officer has recently reached out to Imagine Global to help with the upkeep of his garden, so that he is ready to move when the time comes. This year we have had the pleasure of helping out Thomas on two separate occasions. We have helped with mowing and snipping the front and back lawns, as well as removing an overgrown cactus so that he can use the path beside his house once again. His lawn was over-run with the leaves from the big trees surrounding it, so we have cut them all back so he had an area available for him to come out to again. 

Thomas’ yard after clearing out a space for him

Despite his difficulty being away from his oxygen, Thomas has been incredibly welcoming, coming out numerous times during the visits to check on the volunteers, as well as offer fruit and drinks and have a chat with us. We have been touched by Thomas’ gratitude and kindness, and have welcomed all of his stories and insights into life after living in Perth for so long. His attitude not only towards our volunteers, but towards life in general has served as an excellent reminder of the sense of community and connection that we get to experience meeting so many clients, each with unique outlooks and world experiences.