Brighton Church Rallies to Show Support for Local Family

Last month, Cody and Chelsea Whitcomb of Hartland were busy preparing for the arrival of third child, excitedly awaiting the newest addition to their young family when tragedy struck.

In early August, Cody Whitcomb, 24, woke up with a headache and as the day progressed, his symptoms became worse. Managing to drive himself to the hospital, the 24-year-old stumbled into the ER, unable to talk or feel the left side of his body.

"When you're 24 years old, you're not thinking you're having a stroke," he said. "We couldn't figure out why or how this was happening. It was very confusing."

And then, just one week and two days later, Chelsea Whitcomb gave birth to their son.

The couple's child was arrived the same day Cody Whitcomb was being transported to a different hospital. Still unable to feel the left side of his body, the third-time new dad was wheeled down by paramedics to meet his new son.

"I was able to hold him," Whitcomb said. "It wasn't too long, but I did get to hold him, it was a little difficult to hold him though."

The road to recovery

When the plight of the young family reached members of the Community Bible Church in Brighton, the congregation take action coming to the aid of the Hartland family by delivering meals and offering support.

After two weeks spent in the hospital, Whitcomb was allowed to return home to his family but would require a wheelchair during his recovery. A wheelchair that made getting up and down the stairs leading into his home a challenge.

"The reality set in on what condition Cory was going to be in when he got home," family friend and church member Lynne Hermann said. "We realized he was going to need a wheelchair ramp."

After making the decision to build the ramp, church members reached out to the manager of Brighton Home Depot, hoping for help and a small discount. The response they received is what Hermann calls "amazing." 

"So, not only did the Brighton Home Depot get involved, but the Howell and Fenton Home Depot got involved and they wound up donating close to $1,700 or $1,800," Hermann said.

Along with the much needed donation of supplies and materials, Home Depot also sent volunteers who, in just 48 hours, working alongside members of the church, were able to complete the project.

"For us, we were just in awe of how God orchestrated all of this together," Hermann said. "Home Depot has just been so overly generous with the supplies and sending the people to help out... and just being able to do this together, to work together to help this family out that quickly, it's amazing."

While there are no answers yet to how long Whitcomb may have to live with half of his body numb, relying on the wheelchair for help and mobility, and unable to return to work, the husband and father of three said he is grateful for the community's support.

"We're normally very quiet people so we were very taken back by everything and very happy that people wanted to do it for us," Whitcomb said. "We want to thank everyone for it."