David Scarbrough weighed 18 ounces at birth. At age three, he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. As David grows, his muscles struggle to keep up, but his spirit more than makes up for it. Now 13, David is a Boy Scout and the MVP of his Tee Ball League. He loves dogs, four-wheeling and collects, of all things, keys. He has hundreds on a key ring on a bike he keeps in his backyard.
But the key to David’s heart and his rehabilitation is inside his home. He calls it Soaky.
In September of 2012, David’s mother, Ronette, was advised by David’s doctors to seek out a walk-in tub to assist with David’s mobility and therapy. Faced with rising medical costs from David’s care, Ronette took her quest for the walk-in tub online.
Andrea Allender, director of marketing at Nashville-based Safe Step Walk-In Tub Co., one of the nation’s leading walk-in tub providers, discovered the fundraising effort online and asked Safe Step’s President and Owner Mike Duffer to change the Scarbrough’s’ lives in an instant, and forever.
“I found Ronette and David’s story online and knew we could make a difference,” said Allender. “So I walked into Mike’s office and said, ‘Mike, we have to give them a tub.’ Mike didn’t hesitate. He decided on the spot to make the donation to assist the Scarbroughs.”
When the home office called Ronette, her response was a little more than subtle.
“Oh my gosh, you guys are awesome,” said Ronette. “I can’t believe this is happening.”
Soaky, you see, is a Safe Step’s state-of-the-art, top-of-the-line walk-in tub, which was donated by Safe Step at no cost. David uses the tub up to 7 times a day. His doctors, who recommended Safe Step by name, are as pleased as his mother.
“Since we’ve had the tub, David’s mobility has improved. The swelling in his knees has been reduced dramatically,” said Ronette. “When his doctors and therapists heard about the donation, they were amazed and thrilled because they knew the therapeutic benefits of the tub were immense.”
Six months after the installation, Safe Step revisited Susanville, California to check in on the Scarborough. And Soaky.
“We’re here today because we care,” said Safe Step representative Derek Farley. “We wanted to see the impact of the donation. We found that the tub is used every day, multiple times a day, and that it’s really become a member of the family.”
David and Ronette’s story inspired Safe Step’s nationwide initiative called, appropriately, Safe Step Cares.
Omaha, Nebraska’s Anthony (Tony) Cato, Jr., a former quadriplegic disabled by an uninsured drunk driver, received Safe Step’s first official Safe Step Cares donation in early April. He was able to take a bath unassisted for the first time in years.