Lauren Mulvihill picked up the man, identified only as Mr. Ronald, from the hospital one day and dropped him off at his Henry County home. She came back later that day to check on him and bring him food.
That's when she noticed all the problems and decided to help.
"I felt like I had to. I couldn't just leave him here all by himself," Mulvihill told WSB-TV anchor Wendy Corona.
The Uber driver soon realized she couldn't do it alone. Her call to the community was answered.
"He expressed to me, 'Sorry about the mess. I try to get down there and clean it, but I just can't,'" Mulvihill said.
The level of filth inside of Ronald's home took Mulvihill's breath away, literally.
"Urine is all you could smell – just strong, strong, strong odor of urine," she said.
She described it as years of neglect. Ronald and his dog, King, lived there alone. The widower and veteran needed help.
"I came back later that night just to check on him," Mulvihill said.
She started to clean, but it was simply too much for the single mother and student to take on, so she posted about her encounter on Facebook.
"I'm floored. I'm blown away by the response that I got," Mulvilhill said.
>> Need something to lift your spirits? Read more uplifting news
An army of volunteers, face masks very necessary, began cleaning and tearing everything out of the house. They filled one dumpster; another is on the way.
Mulvihill told Corona that Ronald is mentally sharp but physically just can't clean. It's why nurses no longer come to the house.
"He used to have them, and they stopped coming because of the conditions of the home," she said. "The smell is almost gone. We have ripped up the carpets; all the trash is out. The old furniture is out. We have started to de-mold."
Conditions are improving for the home and Ronald.
"He's thankful that he has all these people around. He loves it," Mulvihill said.
An Amazon wish list has been created for the veteran. You can learn more here.
Credit: WSBTV.com
Credit: WSBTV.com
About the Author