A pest control man is called into a Clearwater home for a rat infestation but instead he makes a disturbing discovery. After seeing one picture of the home, a community decided to help.
Armed with breathing masks and gloves, volunteers are coming out this Memorial Day weekend to help one of their own essentially trapped in her very own home from decades worth of memories and filth.
It’s been years since this former art teacher has been able to move around her home.
"It's absolutely amazing it really is," said Katri Saari. "I never expected anything like this."
And it all started with a call she made to a deal with the rats.
Dusty showers knows pests but when one of his guys ringed his phone, his words left Dusty speechless.
dusty showers, owner, creepy creatures pest & wildlife busters
"He said you need to come look at this right away," described the owner of Creepy Creatures Pest & Wildlife Busters.
After a bad car crash, the artist who once traveled the world, lost her ability to walk and soon after Parkinson’s Disease took her hands.
"I can't pick things up from the floor, I can't cook, I can't do for myself," said Katri.
The hoarding has gotten so bad Dusty’s crew found her trapped in her bathroom this morning. Two weeks before that, she fell from her wheelchair.
"It took me 22 hours to get to my cell phone," she said.
That’s why, she stares in wonder at these perfect strangers who are both emptying out her home and filling it with something else she can’t put in words.
"We have to know who our neighbors are and we have to make sure they are not forgotten about," said Dusty.
These volunteers are teaching this former teacher a lesson. People do care. At the same time uncovering something precious, something that most definitely doesn’t belong in the trash.
"They're 50 years old but they're back" she said while pointing at her once buried artwork.
Dusty has reached out to social services and tells ABC Action News they are going to help Katri out. However, he's still in need of volunteers and donations to turn her home around.
Find out more here: https://www.generosity.com/community-fundraising/elderly-woman-dog-rescue
