Terry's Story - St. Bonaventure

After a spinal cord injury left Terry Teswood paralyzed, preserving the legacy his father and grandfather built became a burden he could no longer carry alone. That legacy is the family home where he grew up—a place that keeps him connected to his family’s history.

Thanks to the generosity of donors and the dedication of volunteers, Terry’s home has been restored.

But many more elderly people and families across the Eastern Navajo Nation are still waiting for help. As you watch Terry’s inspiring story, we hope you’ll consider making a gift to help preserve more homes, protect more families, and restore more lives.

In Terry’s Own Words

Watch Terry’s full interview to hear his story, his gratitude, and his message of hope for others across the Navajo Reservation.

Full Interview Transcript

MY HOME HAS BEEN DISINTEGRATING
“This house was built in, I think around 1980, late ’70s, 79, my late dad and my Minnelli, Roy Tesswood and my dad Tyler Teswood built this house. It’s a cinder block house, but it’s still solid. But the roof is, it’s got to be around 45 years old, if not older. And I think the majority needed, especially the soffits, a lot of the wood has been disintegrated. And there’s been leaks. I’m sure there’s been patches over there, but it’s really needed help. So, the roof is in bad shape. I don’t know how long the roof was going to last with the leaks and being cracked on the edges. It too really attracted a lot of insects, especially wasp and hornets. I’ve been stunned multiple times. The importance of this home is it’s almost like a legacy. It reminds me of my grandfather and my dad. They built this. They were good masonry. Those that they build concrete blocks or anything like that with them within that trade. They’re very good at that. But it’s home. Sugar, my house. It’s just where I grew up. This is where I played right here. Played here when I was a child. I have roots in here. The land when I was young, I used to help with the fields, irrigate, plant. So, there’s deep roots in that. That’s part of you. You become part of the land and so forth. So, it’s just home. And only that, that we’re only here for a limited time so I like to pass this on to my son. And of course, my nephew and nieces, my sister’s older kids, and my parents would want that. They wanted that. They wanted the grandkids to be the ones that would be the next ones, the next generation to oversee the home and then the land. So, I’m sort of like a caretaker. That’s how I feel about that. It’s for them.”

I’M A QUADRIPLEGIC & I NEEDED THIS HELP
“I’m a quadriplegic. My diagnosis was C5 incomplete. And so I had a car accident back in 1991 of March. I was 23 at the time. And now that I’m 58 of this year, so I applied for them on their website for help and assistance because obviously in my condition I’m able to do any manual work of any kind. Very limited in mobility, strength and so forth. And I very prone to infections because I don’t have a spleen. So they removed that when I had my car accident in 1991. So, my immune system is compromised greatly. Plus being a quadriplegic, I can’t regulate my body heat like a normal able bodied person. If I get overheat, I start to get dizzy and start to almost black out. And versus the cold, my body gets stiff and I have a hard time moving around.”

A NEW ROOF MEANS A LOT
“Having St. Bonaventure here, helping me with the roof here means a lot. It really means a lot to me. And having them complete this roof was just unbelievable. So much like a weight and anxiety to lift it off of me. It’s unbelievable. The workmanship, the volunteers have come here. I have no words but for deep appreciation and thankfulness because I know. And all the donors from understanding that the donors, it’s what’s funding this. And not only do I give a shout out to the organization and the workers and everyone involved, but more importantly the donors. They’re the ones help spearhead. They’re sort of the backbone, I think, other than the organization itself and Being able to help folks that are in need, like those that are stable or the elderly. I don’t know what to say. In my language, thank you very, very much from the bottom of my heart. Means a lot. Not only with that, it’s the efficiency of the home. It gets really hot, of course, in the summertime and then it’s going to get really cold. This will really help with that. They put metal, I think white shingles or metal roofing and boy, I can already feel it already immediately. It’s a deep drop in temperature. I’m very grateful for the work and the time and effort that was included in this helping me with this new roof.”

LIFE ON THE NAVAJO RESERVATION
“My message to I guess to whoever’s listening or whoever has opportunity to help is very important. I know that on the Navajo Reservation, I know that it’s folks that unless they really investigate or research what it’s like to live on the reservation versus what you see or hear on the internet, YouTube, whatever, you’ll be surprised that there’s a lot that needs infrastructures on roads. There’s a lot of folks here that don’t have running water or electric, the basic necessity. And it’s just a lot with the infrastructure included in that and trying to make some sort of development to even bring water or electric poles.”

HELP ST. BONAVENTURE INDIAN MISSION & SCHOOL
“This organization I think needs help. Those that can help, it’s really important to donate, to do whatever little they can to help. Like for me, being disabled, I’m sure I’m not the only one that’s in the wheelchair, power chair. I’m sure there’s ones that are totally paralyzed or those that are paraplegic. And then of course those are that elderly, they all need help. And so that’s my message. And those that can help that are able bodied that do have a trade, be it roofing or framing or electrical, any of those trades that be helpful to help get in touch with St. Bonaventure to help the system because I’m sure they need help too.”

Help provide a safe home for someone like Terry.

Your gift today helps St. Bonaventure Indian Mission & School provide critical home repairs and assistance to people across the Eastern Navajo Nation. With your support, more families can have a safer, more secure place to call home.

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