Amramp of Western Michigan makes paralyzed 8 year-old Detroitian’s life a little easier this winter
Detroit, Michigan, is still trying to recover from the economic crash in 2008, continuing to be plagued by crime and unemployment many years later. In September of 2014, a 7 year-old girl named India Williams was playing on her bicycle on the Detroit street where she lives, when she was hit by a stray bullet from a shootout between two cars. The bullet severed her spinal cord and, as a result, she became paralyzed and needed a wheelchair.
Doug Draeger of Amramp Western Michigan learned of India’s plight when he was contacted by the Detroit Fire Department, which along with local police have taken India under their wing in the year following her accident. They make regular visits to the house to check on her, take her on fun outings, and help out in various ways. The firefighters had organized a GoFundMe drive to raise money for a wheelchair ramp for India after her mother, Clinqute Williams, sprained her ankle and they saw her struggling to carry her daughter out the door for their outings.
Lt. Arnie Nowicki called Doug to find out how much it would cost to install a ramp at India’s home for the GoFundMe page. Doug, compelled by the girl’s story and inspired by the fire department’s generosity and dedication, decided to install the ramp at no cost – just in time for Christmas.
“I know the firefighters in Detroit have a tough job; probably moreso than any other city in America,” says Doug. “Houses get burned down there every day. On the street where India lives, half of the houses have been ransacked and are boarded up. It’s tough to imagine a kid growing up there in a wheelchair. We wanted to make her and her mother’s lives easier and also to thank the fire department for all that they do.”
Amramp of Western Michigan installed the ramp on December 17th; Doug notes that although it was a small ramp installation, the lot where the house is situated is small and on the corner with a drastic slope to the ground, but his team was able to navigate the layout challenges successfully. The ramp will be in place for as long as India lives in the house, and Amramp’s patented steel mesh design is sure to withstand harsh Michigan winter precipitation, letting snow & ice drip through.
So far, all of the feedback that Doug has received has been extremely positive, and India loves her new ramp. Apparently, Lt. Nowicki jokingly warned her, “Now, it’s not a ramp to pull wheelies on.”
India’s smiling response: “Why not?”
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