Mr. Pool, of Montgomery, launched a contest not long ago for area residents to submit their stories on how a new swimming pool could benefit their life. Six area residents have made the finals and need your votes!
Below are their stories, and you can cast a vote for one of them by visiting mrpoolgiveaway.com. Just copy and paste the link into your browser if it doesn’t show up automatically. Below are their stories, which can also be found at the mrpoolgiveaway.com link where you can vote for your choice.
ALEXANDRA DUNCAN
From Wetumpka – Hello, my name is Alexandra Duncan. I live in Wetumpka, Alabama. This pool would benefit us in so many more ways then just for fun. Back in July of this year we got our daughters diagnosis of Angelman Syndrome. It is a rare nuerogenetic condition. We were told she may never talk, walk, and only have the mind of a child, and that she would be in our care for the rest of our lives. With me and my husband being only 23 and 24 and this being our first child, we were truly devastated. But, since then we have been advocating and finding every resource and therapy we can for her. Due to her needing so much therapy (3-6 times a week) and her drs appts in Birmingham and Tennessee for a specialist I had to come home from my job. The only therapy we can’t get her into around her is aquatic therapy, we were told she’s too much of a liability. Aquatic therapy is one of the BEST things for people with Angelman Syndrome. One of the characteristics of Angelman is they have a fascination with water. Our daughter, Avie Mae, absolutely loves water & pools. All this to say, we would so enjoy this pool for so many more reasons than just for fun. It would help with Avie’s mobility and it would be something we knew she could actually use and benefit her. Thank you so much for even opening up this and giving us a chance.
CRISTI CAIN
From Millbrook – For many, a pool is a luxury item, but for my son Hardy, it would be so much more. It would be life changing. Hardy has an extremely rare chromosome abnormality and with that has physical challenges along with other developmental delays. Aquatic Therapy has long been mentioned by his medical professionals as one of the best therapies, as it provides the least resistance to his body, allowing him freedom in movement that he otherwise doesn’t experience. Being able to move freely, while simultaneously strengthening his body, is truly the best of both worlds. Hardy loves being in the water and doesn’t realize it is also therapy. That’s what makes it an amazing tool for his continued progress and development. There is no local facility that provides aquatic therapy, leaving Birmingham as our nearest option. Having the ability to do “therapy” in our own yard, on our own schedule, without the stress and worry of traveling would be epic! So on behalf of an amazing little guy, who is fiercely determined and brings a wealth of joy to everyone, despite his many challenges, we honor Hardy by nominating him for a pool. Thank you for this wonderful opportunity!
ANNETTE ROBERTS
From Wetumpka – I had to adopt my my granddaughters 6 years ago due to both parents deciding life was to hard and drugs were more fun. I had just retired and was going to start traveling. Well that didn’t go as planned! Me and the girls would absolutely love to have a pool and a getaway In our own back yard, also I have systematic PSA and and have had so many surgery’s to replace my joints. The only exercise I can do now has to be in water where there is no pressure on my joints. This would be the best gift to them and me that we could ever imagine! My husband is retired from the Montgomery Police department. But has to work April-October in Nebraska. So it’s hard for me to take the girls anywhere in the summer when he’s gone. Another reason a pool would be fabulous! We have our fingers and toes crossed!!! Thank you for the opportunity to enter.
ASHLEY ALLEN
From Wetumpka – I nominate My brother Alan Damron (28) and my parents Yvette & Danny Moore! Alan had a diving accident on the river June 1st and suffered a spinal cord injury. He spent 116 days at UAB is now classified as a C4 quadriplegic. My parents home was not ideal- so they’ve sold EVERYTHING and we (Allen Builders) are building a wheelchair accessible home for them and my brother Alan. I think having a pool to help rehab his injury would help improve his quality of life in so many ways. It would also be an amazing place for my parents to relax considering all they have been through and vacations will be limited due to circumstances. They have all been through hell and back and no one I can think of is more deserving of a catching a break in life and relaxing by a beautiful Mr Pool!! (I didn’t not attach a picture of the backyard- but we are in Jordan Trace & y’all have built several pools in our neighborhood I can provide pictures if needed) p.s. they should be moving in their new house this week!
VICKI DESEDARE
From Deatsville – We had a few people nominate our family on your first few post. But im going to nominate our own family. We don’t usually toot our own horn because what we do is about God, not ourselves. If we don’t win I still am blessed and was able to tell you about our wonderful family. We actually have a friend that got a pool from you and we got an estimate but can’t squeeze the money yet. We are active in our church and believe in showing God’s love through our family. We are a family that is always trying to find ways to help people. We are a foster family. In the past before becoming a foster family, we helped many families. Some families we even moved in our home to help them get on their feet. One of our daughter-in-laws we helped get our of her family situation. My best friend always says there is always someone you are helping. We have my parents living next door to us so we can take care of them. Mom is about 80% deaf and blind. She is also on oxygen. Dad just had a cancer scare. But they are precancerous cells so that is a blessing. So some history of us. I had a basic childhood. I do have a history of childhood sexual abuse which encouraged me to help children. Phillip had a rough childhood. His childhood was a lot like the children we help which encouraged him to help children. Phillip and I started dating when we was 14 and 15. After dating a while we found out we played together as kids for years. My babysitter was his aunt. We got all crazy with puppy love and lust. We became teen parents just before we turned 18. We married at 18. Wish I could say it was easier. Lord knows it was extremely hard. After a while I realized Phillip had a problem with drugs. Instead of leaving him I loved him through it. He has been clean 19 years now. That encouraged his parents to clean their life up and they have been clean 16 years now. We had our 2nd child at 20 years old. Years of being broke and struggling pass. Phillip decided to open his own business. The business did wonderful for years. We owned a home, boat, cars and so on. In 2009 like so many people we lost everything. Had to file bankruptcy. We was homeless. Mom my took her retirement out and bought land. She made a deal with us to build her house and she would give us some land. So we scrapped money up to buy a fema camper that was falling apart but it was a roof over our heads. We moved on the land. We was actually very happy in our camper. As we lived in it we saved and wasted nothing. We got to a point where we could start on a house. I would look everywhere for deals. I found windows for $50 each valued at $600. They were showroom floor windows. Our fireplace I got from a family member that decided to not use it and I redid his plumbing in his old house. Things like that helped so much. Every week when we were paid off to home depot we went. We built our own home with our own money with our own hands. So we have no mortgage. Thanks to a deal we made with my mom, our hard work and a lot of sacrifices. We have a home. We started helping others. For years we wanted to foster children. 4 years ago we just said lets do it. Our older son got married and we had a 15 year old at the time. We was in a spot where we could help more. We started the foster process. We now have 2 grown sons 2 daughter-in-laws 2 grandson. We have a 2yo adopted daughter and 3 foster daughters we are currently in the process of adopting. But foster care isn’t just about the kids. You have to foster the family too. The goal is to get the family back together and on their feet and change their life. IMPACT their life positively. Anyway the question is why do we think we deserve a pool? I don’t really know how to answer that. Im sure there are much more deserving families out there. But I can tell you that we would love to have one. The kids would love it. My parents would love it. My grandkids will love it later they are still babies. Thank you for your time. Thank you this opportunity. God bless you all and your families. Happy Thanksgiving Merry Christmas Happy New Year
ANGELA RAY
From Deatsville – I would love to win this pool for my family. We have two daughters, a 14 year old and 20 year old who has epilepsy and autism. We all love to swim, but I have a huge fear of swimming in water where I cannot see the bottom. So I do not get in the lake or ocean. It is difficult to take my oldest daughter swimming in public places as she gets overstimulated and honestly sometimes people just do not understand. We have always wanted to have a pool installed, but unfortunately the cost has always been out of our budget. We would be so grateful to win this wonderful gift. You are an amazing company to offer such a wonderful opportunity. I am sure it will be a blessing and truly enjoyed by whomever you choose. God Bless. The Ray-Woodall Family
