AURORA | The one thing most people want when they turn 14 years old is independence.
At that age, people are developing their own opinions, interests and sense of self, and the last thing a young teen wants is their family cramping their style.
For Athena Ford, it was so much more than that.
She was limited in who she could have over to her house and how much of her own home she could access with her wheelchair in her family’s quaint 1950s home near Lowry.
“You built a future where I can chase my dreams,” Athena told the group who built an accessible extension to her home.
Athena is a spunky young lady with a powerful wit and a wicked sense of humor, particularly when joking with her family, especially about her bulldozer of a pup, Bentley, whom she loves dearly. She has Freeman-Sheldon Syndrome, which is a rare neuromuscular condition that affects fewer than 200 people worldwide and causes her to need to use an electric wheelchair most of the time.
None of that seems to hold her back, but she and her parents began to notice the limitations in her own home.
“My little brother, Ramsey, who has more energy than a puppy on a sugar rush, would play outside, but I couldn’t join him,” Athena said in a thank-you speech to the builders. “Inside, we’d hang out, but I was stuck in certain spots, missing all the action. Then you came along and built me a dream home.”
In some cases, she said she would need to crawl to get around her room and bathroom, which she said was obviously not ideal.
“My house felt like a trap,” she said. “My front ramp was steep and icy; it was practically a slide in winter. I was one step away from a total wipeout. Inside, I had to park my power chair and crawl or be carried to my bedroom, which was about as fun as it sounds. I spent way too much time on the floor because my chair couldn’t fit in my room and bathroom.”
There was nothing her parents could immediately do to make the changes she needed to gain the independence they wanted her to have, so they asked for a bit of help and received much more than they had imagined.
Athena’s best friend’s mom, Gabby Gomez, told Nichole about a group that renovated Gabby’s home for her daughter, Adriana, who also regularly uses an electric power wheelchair. Home Builders Foundation, a nonprofit group that helps individuals and families build independence for people with disabilities, renovated Gabby’s house for free. The project was so successful that Gabby told Athena’s mom, Nichole, she needed to call them, too.
Nichole said the family’s house was in rough shape at that time, with numerous repairs needed on the roof and in the backyard, particularly after a significant amount of rain a few years ago. She called the Home Builders Foundation and said she had initially requested if they could do a renovation in the basement, but they decided the basement was too challenging. Although they didn’t usually do expansions, they would make an exception for Athena.
The group helped with some of the house repairs and ultimately decided to give Athena her own “wing” of the house, making her one very lucky teenager.
“You’ve given me freedom, happiness and a real hope,” Athena told the builders. “I’m so grateful for what you’ve done. What a beautiful gift. You didn’t just build an edition. You built a future where I can chase my dreams, chase Ramsey during our backyard races and feel my family’s love everywhere.”
The expansion was a win for the whole family. Her little brother got to move out of his old, tiny room and into his parents’ old room, while his parents will be moving into Athena’s old bedroom, which is the primary bedroom of the house. Bentley, the family dog and service dog in training, lost his grassy domain, which was the backyard, but he seems to be getting over it, according to Nichole.
Nichole read Bentley’s “barktacular dedication speech,” in which he said he had a bone to pick and some treats to share about the massive addition the Home Builders Foundation added.
“This addition isn’t just about me or my backyard drama, it’s for my girl, Athena, my best friend, my VIP, very important person,” Nichole read for Bentley. “This new space is a game-changer. There’s room for me to sprawl out, to be right by her side without causing a ruckus. I can protect her, snuggle her and maybe even sneak a few less chaotic tail wags.”
The expansion provided Athena with a new purple bedroom, her own living room for socializing with friends and a spacious bathroom featuring a large walk-in shower. Windows cover every wall, providing her with ample natural light throughout the day and safe ramps in the winter.
“You came along and built me a dream home,” Athena said to the builders. “You gave me a safe, smooth ADA ramp for easy access and an auxiliary ramp for extra convenience. No more ice disasters.”
Every aspect of the new space can easily accommodate her wheelchair and provide plenty of extra room for toys, games and anything else she and her friends, as well as her brother Ramsey, might want to get into.
“From my large picture window, I can see the purple flowers, my favorite color, that my mom planted from seeds,” Athena said. “They’re beautiful, and they make my day.”
The backyard was also a big win for the whole family. Although the grass is gone, there is now a large deck that can accommodate a whole party of people, along with a fire pit for the family and friends to roast marshmallows, and multiple ramps for Athena and her friends to use.
Athena said she was excited to roast those marshmallows with the family, but then quipped that she remembered she hates marshmallows.
“There is a living room for hanging out with Ramsey, my friends and family, and a covered deck right outside my door where I can feel the sunshine and enjoy the flowers,” Athena said. “You poured a concrete path so I could get into the backyard two different ways, safe and sound. Now, Ramsey and I do laps out there, him running like a wild kid. Me rolling like we’re in a race, both of us laughing until we can’t breathe.”
Ramsey pointed out the solar-paneled fountains the builders added to the yard, and Adriana, Athena, and Ramsey all had fun commenting on Nichole’s playlist, catching up, and getting to know the new space.
Gabby said that Adriana and Athena have been good friends for years, but they don’t get to hang out often because Gabby and Adriana live in Littleton, and Athena’s home was always a little too small for both girls to play or hang out together for long. Athena’s parents also don’t have a van to get her wheelchair all the way out to Littleton.
The girls would basically only get to see each other at Aurora’s own Colorado Junior Wheelchair Sports Camp once a year.
Now the girls can talk about music, teenager stuff and dream together whenever Adriana can get a ride to come over.
“This edition is like my own studio apartment, ready for high school, college and maybe my whole adult life,” Athena said. “It’s a place where my friends can visit, where Ramsey and I can play anywhere and where Bentley can stay on my side throughout without causing a mess.”
The builders and architect said they even kept the foyer space of her apartment, which used to be Ramsey’s entire bedroom, as a possible kitchenette space if Athena decides she wants to stick around after college. Athena dreams of being a lawyer one day, so keeping her parents close might bite the stress of law school.
“Your kindness is like those purple flowers, bright and full of hope,” Athena said. “I currently ask you to keep building for other kids like me, so they can roll into a life of joy and independence, just like I do now. You’re changing lives, and I’m proof from the bottom of my heart, and it’s a big one, thank you for this gift of a lifetime.”
Wonderful.