If You Build It, They Will Come

When Jason Rhodes set out to work on building a new home for his family, he had no idea what fate had in store. It was the coldest recorded day of the year, and when he arrived to the site on Yaeger Road, his father, who usually helped out, hadn’t arrived yet.

With six children, the Rhodes family had outgrown their old home and Jason had found the perfect piece of land on which to build their dream home. Jason also worked as an electrician, so this was a part time project for him and his father. There also is property behind the lot where the house sits. Jason also wants to purchase this lot in order to have his house on both lots for a non-profit non-denominational ministry.

“Our plans have been mostly training and building up the community,” he said. “We want to have gardening for single moms, outreach events, concerts and low ropes courses.”

When that fateful day occurred, Jason was in the midst of filling in the slab house’s foundation. He was on a Bobcat filling in the foundation with rock, when it tipped into the wall. Jason said that this was normal for the Bobcat to do that, but this time he instinctively put his hands up and the roll bar hit the fingers.

“At first I thought, ‘That really hurt and it’s going to be a bad day,’ then I had blood on my gloves and I knew that it was really bad,” Jason said.

Jason’s dad still hadn’t arrived, so he turned the machine off with his thumb and ran across the street where Laclede Gas workers happened to be. When the paramedics arrived, they began to cut Jason’s gloves off, and the very first finger was completely severed.

“I was scared to death; I’m an electrician. My ring finger was cut off right away and the rest of them looked pretty bad. My heart sank,” he said.

While the paramedics removed each glove finger, Jason asked about each one. He didn’t think he’d be able to work again.

Now Jason’s hands are healing, and he hopes someday he will be able to work again. The house plans have been put on hold, and they aren’t much farther than pouring the floor.

“I have the strength in my hands of my 8-year-old daughter,” Jason said. “Her grip in her right hand is stronger than mine. I need to be about eight times stronger in physical therapy.”

Jason's friends are rallying together to reach out to the community to help him finish his house. The following are needed: 

•Plumbers

•Framers

•Cement finishers

•HVAC

•Drywallers

•Roofers

•Finish carpenters

•Landscapers

•General laborers

If you can help, call Angie Hummel at 314-313-2147.