By Sahar Chmais
Getting in and out of her trailer home was becoming a near-impossible mission; for 10 months, Debbe Purcell would have to crawl in and out of her home when she needed to leave due to severe knee problems.
“In October, I hurt my knee and I had been scooting across the floor and would use crutches to go in and out of my trailer,” Purcell said. “I reached out on the Love Thy Neighbor [Facebook page] to see if someone can help. [Jon Bledsoe] and his wife, Lisa, are my Facebook angels.”
Bledsoe, owner of Blu J Construction, created a Facebook page months ago to connect neighbors together in Dripping Springs. One day, he ran across Purcell’s call for help. He saw that she was struggling to get in and out of her home, so he decided to build her a ramp.
Bledsoe got financial support from the community and in one day, he and his 14-year-old son, JJ, finished the ramp.
“It started raining,” Purcell recalled their kind act, “but it didn’t stop them. They pulled out a canopy shade and they worked under that.”
When Purcell spoke of their deed, she began choking up on her tears and said she still cries thinking about it. She gave Jon and his son a huge hug when they drove up to her house, overwhelmed with gratitude.
This is not Bledsoe’s first act of kindness; he has been going out to help people who need it for a long time. He has gone out with some friends to help a woman who had a broken hip who was stuck at home, he has donated blankets and heaters and more.
Bledsoe has been teaching his son in the ways of giving back to the community and the importance of being there for others.
“It makes me feel proud and I know he’s a really good person,” said Bledsoe’s son about his father, “that’s all I can say. Nothing but happiness.”
In addition to giving support to community members who need it, Bledsoe also tries to help through his business by donating and offering deals to people who need handyman work done but cannot afford it.
“A lot of people tend to look to me as a leader in a way sometimes to get the ball rolling,” Bledsoe said about how he helps those around him. “It’s not something I ever planned to become or do; it’s in my heart and trying to teach my son and daughter, to when you can, if somebody needs help, then you help them.”
