AC Pup: Helping hands reach out to man and his dog

On any given Saturday during football season there are people focused on one thing - watching their favorite college team play. That normally means people either head to watch the games in person or they plan to camp out in front of the TV to watch it uninterrupted.

For the diehard college football fans, Saturdays usually are blocked off with no other activities planned.

Folks take their football seriously. The Saturday after Thanksgiving was particularly intense, with games such as Georgia-Georgia Tech and Alabama-Auburn on the schedule. This was a really special day filled with exciting rivalries.

One person who would not be watching his favorite teams play would be my friend Jesse Faust. You may remember seeing him in his wheelchair with his loyal companion, Lady, traveling the roads for years near Bolingbroke.

You see, Mr. Jesse had been in the hospital for more than a month when it was determined he would not be able to return to the personal care home where he previously lived. He would now require more care.

Even though he was confined to a wheelchair, Mr. Jesse has always been an independent soul. He insisted on caring for Lady himself, taking his scooter into her pen to feed her and clean her pen daily. He kept her living quarters immaculate -- rain or shine.

But as his health has declined, he has needed assistance. He's had to rely on others to help him. And when the decision was made that he could no longer live in the personal care home, he really needed help.

Arrangements needed to be made to vacate his room and move his belongings out of the personal care home last Saturday. Football Saturday. Georgia-Georgia Tech football Saturday. Alabama-Auburn football Saturday.

So I put out the request for volunteers to help Mr. Jesse on my Facebook page just before Thanksgiving. In addition to football, it was a busy holiday weekend as well. We had no idea what the response would be. I just let folks know Mr. Jesse needed help.

Apparently, that was all they needed to know.

The number of people that showed up to get the job done for Mr. Jesse was heartwarming. Men and women alike came prepared to pack Mr. Jesse's things, dismantle Lady's pen and get him moved.

The parking area at the personal care home that typically had only one car was packed with so many vehicles that they lined the road. People came with utility trailers to help. They came with tools. They came with storage containers. They came with compassion.

They came to help a man who has no one else in this world besides a dog that adores him. They came to help a man who has not been able to leave the hospital in more than a month. They came to help a man who needed the kindness of others.

And they came on football Saturday.

Time and time again I witness the goodness of people willing to offer help to others in need. Every time I am blessed. This time Mr. Jesse was blessed, too.

This story was originally published December 4, 2015 at 4:27 PM with the headline "AC Pup: Helping hands reach out to man and his dog ."