The past several years have been rough for 56-year-old Jackie Buglaski of Greenfield, Wis. A minor health issue turned into a major one, which resulted in her having her pancreas, gallbladder, spleen and a portion of her small intestine removed. Since the surgery, her financial situation has gone from bad to worse, mirroring a deterioration of her home.
“She lost her job. She was denied unemployment, went through her life savings and she had to turn to family and friends for help just to survive,” longtime family friend and member of the consumer reviews service, Angie’s List, Mary DeJardine said in her nomination letter to the
Wishmakers program, which steps in to help deserving families with needed home repair.
Unable to work due to her various medical issues, Buglaski now lives on disability benefits, which barely allow her to get by each month and made it difficult to properly maintain her 900-square-foot home. Among the repair issues was her bathroom shower, which was cracked was leaking water into her walls every time it was used. In addition to the obvious stress the leakage was putting on the walls, the dampness was also posing a potential mold issue.
Through the Angie’s List Wishmaker’s program, two area companies stepped in to address the issues. Local plumbing company,
Oak Creek Plumbing donated a new shower insert to replace the cracked one in Buglaski’s bathroom.
“It doesn’t take a lot to give a little,” Steve Uselmann, owner of
Always Building Custom said. The New Berlin, Wis., general contractor is no stranger to giving back. He recently worked with Home for Our Troops to build a home for a wounded soldier. Uselmann installed the shower insert.
Angie’s List Founder Angie Hicks said she was happy to see the local contractors step in to help.
“No one should have to live in unsafe surroundings, and thanks to these contractors, Jackie has a better, healthier environment,” Hicks said.
Since 2004, the nation’s leading provider of consumer ratings on local service companies has partnered with its highly rated service providers to grant wishes across the country.
Previous Wishmakers projects include:
- Giving a wounded soldier’s mother in Atlanta, Georgia, a new kitchen sink and dishwasher.
- Providing a new roof for a Shaker Heights, Ohio family who lost their three young daughters in a house fire.
- Helping a Chicago family move into a new house when their home was foreclosed after the death of their 11-year old daughter.
- Painting the home of a Carmel, Ind. family who faced financially difficulties due to medical ailments and the loss of a job.
- Building a room addition on to the home of an Indianapolis family whose little boy has the “Bubble Boy” disease and has to live in sterile isolation.
- Repairing the car of a disabled Navy veteran in Deland, Florida to help him get back up on his feet after a long, up-hill medical battle.
Nominations are accepted via email at
WishmakersRequests@angieslist.com.