During the project, the team also surprised home owner Todd Singh, who served in the Navy from 1989-92, with a new washer and dryer for his laundry room.
Singh, 54, suffered a massive heart attack in 2017 and has been in and out of the hospital ever since. Diagnosed with congestive heart failure, he relies on a heart pump and an electronic device to control his heart. He was released from UC Medical Center on Saturday night.
Due to his failing health, he’s unable to complete many of the household chores, he said. If he does any strenuous activity, he naps for an hour, he said.
“It’s brutal,” he said.
Singh worked at International Paper in Middletown for 30 years until he medically retired. He and his wife, Tracie, have four grown children and two grandchildren and they have lived on Queen Avenue for 30 years.
He was amazed by the repairs being made on Monday, 13 days before Christmas.
“This is a good day,” he said. “This means the world to us.”
David Jagel, 58, commander of VFW Post 3809 in Middletown, has worked at Home Depot for 20 years. He was contacted about possibly helping Singh, and after seeing the condition of his house, he forwarded the pictures to management.
They approved the home improvements and all the orders were placed.
Jagel, a retired Navy veteran called helping other veterans “a tremendous honor” because many of them don’t know how to ask for or want assistance.
Since 2011, the Home Depot Foundation has invested more than $400 million in veteran causes. Over the past 10 years, the foundation has helped renovate and enhance more than 50,000 veteran homes and facilities, said Adam Hancock, store manager of the Home Depot in Hamilton.
He said the company is supportive of veterans and when Home Depot hears about someone who needs assistance “we jump at the opportunity to help out.”
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