CHAGRIN FALLS, Ohio — We have a special, exciting update about Finn Sheets, a 15-year-old with spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy, whom we first introduced you to over the summer.
In 2024, Kasey Sheets told me she began fighting for basement accessibility for her son following a pattern of severe weather impacting Cuyahoga County.
Sheets filed a request with the Ohio Department of Medicaid and the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities for a stair chair lift.
She was denied.
Her appeal was rejected, too.
Part of the reasoning behind the denial was that access to the basement was not considered a factor in Finn's quality of life, according to health records Kasey showed us in July.
Kasey felt like she'd run out of options, but didn't want to give up.
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After airing her story, dozens of viewers reached out to me, asking how they could help.
"[I'm] still getting a lot of people reaching out and commenting since the video went viral and the news story went live — just very overwhelmed by people wanting to help. They don't know us, like it's very sweet," Kasey told me on Monday. "I'm just overwhelmed that people were touched by the story. I mean, so many people offered to set up a GoFundMe, which was not my intention when I decided to sit down with you or decided to post a video of Finn. I just wanted people to understand and realize the fight that we have to go through for just, you know, things that you wouldn't think are luxury items or just basic access to the house."
One of the first to be touched by her story was Accessible Home Pro, which is based in Brecksville and owned by Kurt Gerber.
"My mother-in-law actually sent a text to me and my wife. And then I said to Jill (Kurt Gerber's wife), why don't you go ahead and email and see if there's something we can do to help," Gerber said. "Listening to her (Kasey) and the anxiety she had not being able to get Finn into the basement, the other kids seemed distraught over it, so you know, I'm thinking there's something that we have to be able to do to help this family."
Accessible Home Pro provides barrier-free showers, walk-in tubs, grab bars, ramps, accessibility modifications, and stair lifts.
For the last two months, I've been going back and forth with Accessible Home Pro to figure out schedules, a consultation, and an installation.
"They've been amazing. When he (Gerber) came out the first time, I thought he was just telling me what kind of chair that I would need, what would be best for Finn based on his height and weight, his ability to keep himself upright, and what would be easier for me as a caregiver," Kasey said.
She told me she never thought a simple conversation would turn into a donation of a stair chair lift.
"When he told me that they wanted to gift me a certain chair, I just burst into tears because I did not expect it," Kasey said. "I'm just in awe and very grateful and thankful that he came back with the chair and installed it for us, never meeting Finn, and just knew what would be best for him. I just appreciate it so much."
A stair chair lift leading into the basement was installed in just under an hour Monday morning.
It has a weight limit of 350 pounds and a 35-foot-long track.
"What we were able to provide is basically peace of mind for her. She now has a sense of security. She can keep the family together if there is inclement weather or something that bothers her. They can go down to the basement as a family and not separate. Moving forward, I think there's going to be a lot less anxiety, and they're going to be much happier overall," Gerber said.
Gerber initially joined this line of work because a family member broke their leg and couldn't navigate their home.
To help, he modified their entire home for a wheelchair.
"I saw a need in it and then the work is very rewarding, the smiles on people's faces, everything you do for them. It's changing lives," he told me.
Nearly two decades later, he's continuing steadfastly on that mission to make a difference, which now includes Kasey and Finn.
"This will really change our family. I'm not gonna have that particular worry anymore of what do I do in case of an emergency and I need to get Finn downstairs. That is no longer a weight on my shoulders, and I'm so, so grateful," Kasey said.
The stair lift Accessible Home Pro installed is designed to be maintenance-free.
"The only upkeep on it would be the batteries, which can last anywhere from one year to three years," Gerber said.
Once Finn got home from school on Monday, he and Kasey tested the chair out.
In a video sent to me, Kasey says, "Finn! You are now in the basement!"
"I'm just so excited for him. He's never been downstairs except for that one time where I had to dead lift him down there. This is going to be a whole new world for him, a new space of his house that he will get to access. I'm just so excited for him," Kasey said.
Kasey's message to other families in similar positions is to keep fighting and keep stepping out of the box.
"I'm glad that I was able to kind of put myself out there — not for selfish reasons. I was doing it for Finn. I would have never done this if I needed a stair lift, you know, but I think a lot of good came from it. We've reached a lot of people. We, you know, met some amazing people. I think it's worth it to take the risk," Kasey said.
