More Independence for JT
JT Meredith is handsome young man with bright eyes. In November of 2007 he was walking home from school with friends when a car hit him. As a result of the accident JT has a traumatic brain injury, which has limited his motion and speech. He has a shunt in his head, a metal plate in his pelvis and steel rods in his right leg. He is working hard at the BOCES Carmen Road school on his speaking skills and is taking physical therapy to improve motor control of his left hand and left leg. Several months after the accident, JT’s father passed away from a heart attack.
Involved in athletics, JT played on the football team and wrestling team at the W. T. Clark High School. High school has raised funds with a demonstration benefit basketball game and the wrestling team is ready to volunteer and help out.
He and his mother, Karen live in a 1950’s Levitt house on Long Island. JT is now sleeping and living in the only room where the doorway is just wide enough for his wheelchair. His mother must give him sponge baths since there is only a powder room with a washer/dryer on the first floor. Since the house is built on a slab, options for new plumbing are costly. Volunteer architect Jerry Cicciari, AIA is designing a larger accessible bathroom and creating a private bedroom for JT.