There are plenty of fiercely independent people out there who choose to refuse help, even when it would so obviously do them good.
That’s nothing for us to judge on – some people simply don’t like to feel “useless” or even “like a charity case”.
Jeanette MacDonald is one of these people.
The grandma, who lives in Bridgeport, Nova Scotia, had a slowly deteriorating roof, and she had always planned to solve the problem herself.
Little did she know that the state of her roof had caught the attention of 25-year-old Jeremy Locke, who lived and worked in the area.
Every day, he would drive past Jeanette’s house, wondering why her roof looked like it had been half-repaired.
After learning that an elderly woman and children lived there, he knew he had to help.
Jeremy’s main concern was that parts of the roof appeared to be held together by tarpaulin. He knew that when winter came along, this would hardly provide shelter from the cold winds and snow.
So, one day, Jeremy decided that in a gesture of kindness, he’d approach Jeanette and offer to fix her roof and no cost to her.
Speaking to The Chronicle Herald, Jeremy admitted:
“I didn’t know who the woman was, but I wanted to take care of this for her and her grandchildren.”
But Jeanette was a proud woman, and not the sort to accept free help. She told Jeremy that she had applied for a grant – and turned him away.
But a year later, nothing had changed, and Jeanette’s roof remained in its poor state.
So Jeremy decided that he was going to redouble his efforts in encouraging Jeanette to allow him to fix her roof.
He knew that Jeanette would turn him away if he approached her like before, so he decided to be clever.
He visited Jeanette’s house once more, and this time, he told her about a raffle his company was holding.
The prize? A new roof.
Jeanette jumped at the opportunity. Little did she realize that there was no raffle, and that this was just a ploy on Jeremy’s behalf.
Of course, because the raffle didn’t actually exist, Jeanette wasn’t just the winner – she was also the only entrant.
Jeremy explained to Jeanette why he was so keen to fix her roof, and she agreed to take up his offer.
According to Jeremy, “these things should be gifted to people who truly deserve and need it.” And when you hear Jeanette’s backstory, you’ll see exactly why she’s worthy.
The mom-of-two and grandmother to seven had raised her kids alone. Then, when her grandchildren came along, she left her job to look after them.
She now lives off the state pension and shares her home with four of her grandchildren. She uses a wood stove to warm her home and catches leaks with pots and pans.
The partial repairs to Jeanette’s roof had been done by her grandsons, but they soon realized that the job was too extensive for them to complete alone.
It’s an expensive job, too, setting Jeremy back around $9,000.
But all that he has asked for in return is a home-cooked meal, and Jeanette couldn’t be more grateful.
“I could win $1 million and it wouldn’t make me as happy as knowing I’m getting a new roof on, Jeremy is really something,” she said. “He’s a guardian angel sent from God.”
You can watch the story of one man’s heartwarming pledge to help an elderly woman in need in the video below.
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