Disabled Ham Helping Handi Ham

This story is about myself and a friend thats a quadriplegic handi ham. My name is Eddie Barra AE2B his name is Billy Wise N2UQC born with Muscular distrophy. We both are 40 years old. Well Billy was promised over one year by a fellow ham to assemble his Mosley TA-53M and never did so. I had bumped into billy in a local diner and told me of his delema. Well I went there and assembled his antenna in one day.I then got a hold of another ham friend George Cortez NE2I and we had installed the roof tower strong enough for over 400 lbs between both of us to stand on it. Then we had gotten a few neighborhood guys and got the antenna top side.

Well it was then calabrated by myself. I then had to get ahold of my friend Tom Perry W2BIS because he is a retired electrical engineer from IBM. The problem is Billy can not move not even his hands so tom had to configure a computer controled  system from the Cuchina company and interface it with billys computer via touch pad. His hf radio and rotor is a computer screen all done by touch pad. So Tom had finally got done with this task and I climbed back on the roof and recalabrated his beem once again. So now Billy is doing so well on hf it was beyond his exptations and he is so happy.

Me myself.  I had been put back together after five surgeries with massive ammounts of titanium in my back and tendon and muscle relocation in my right lower leg and foot . I had a sever crippleing injury on the railroad and got a disibility after 15 years. I see a man like Billy and was promised over a year to have his been done. It never happened so I had taken the task of doing it all for him with help from two other great hams. Though I have severe pain and loss of movement in my legs. I put my pain and my problems aside and helped a man that has a lot tougher problem then I. So now Billy is 100% and thrilled. This is a major thing in a mans life with so little to do. So when someone wants something done that is less fortunate then others I pray and hope that theres more people like myself to come forward and help the less fortunate. Well best 73 to all who read this and see you all on hf.
                       Eddie Barra AE2B

 

If we all look around us, we can find someone a little more needy than ourselves.

And, good deeds never hurt anyone.

Thanks for helping the fellow ham out. That, my friends, IS the spirit of ham radio!!

 

Way to go Eddie..... I got a brief glimpse of what life is like for Billy. In December of 2001 I was nearly killed in an automobile accident in Georgia. My wife, mother-in law and brother-in law were all with me but escaped any serious injury. I was quadraplegic for 5 to 6 hours and had major surgery on my neck. I don't take anything for granted any more. You can see my x-rays of my "New" neck on my website http://www.qsl.net/n8qgc I'm a newly liscensed General class ham so I'll be looking for you and Billy for sure. We all should do our best to keep the promisses that we make. At the end of the day, our word determines and defines who we really are. It' obvious to me that you are a man of good character!

73 De John N8QGC

 

Good for you Eddie...Not only  does it do your friend a lot of good, it also makes you feel good. People Just don't know how difficult it is just to do a minor task when you are severly disabled. I have been there and but for the grace of god, I managed to walk against all odds.
Radio is a great hobby !!!
Keep it up.

Paul G0UZP

 

WOW
Thank you Eddie........I appreciate you sharing this story with us. My saying is "You can always turn around and find someone in worse condition then you" and "Good deeds never go unnoticed". You have done something great for yourself and a fellow ham, not to mention a fellow human being. I hope some day to run into the both of you on the air.
Thank you as I needed a GREAT story today.

 

I very much enjoyed reading these posts. I just want to tip my hat to Eddie (AE2B), George (NE2I) and Tom (W2BIS) for helping Billy Wise (N2UQC), out like they did. It was obviously a team effort to get Billy on the air. I know how appreciative Billy is from reading his post, thanking you guys. It must have been a real challenge for Tom to get all the computer software working correctly. And of course, Eddie and George got the ball rolling to get Billy on the air.

Putting a tower up on a roof like that is a major project. I know because I have done it myself, with help from five of my good friends.

There are a lot of hams out there who are disabled. Ham radio is a Godsend to those of us who are not completely whole. I myself, had to have a posterior lumbar interbody  fusion (L4-L5), done on my low back in 1987, and ham radio has prevented me from loosing my mind at times. There are days when I don't feel very good, but I always manage to get in front of my rig and make new friends all over the world. In addition, I have many old friends that I have met on the air, whom I look forward to talking to as often as possible.

The point being, if you know a ham who needs some help, with an antenna or some other project take the time to help him or her out. It is greatly appreciated and someday, somebody may need to do you a favor.

And I wanted to say to John (N8QGC), hang in there buddy. That neck operation you had done, looked wicked to say the least. I hope to catch you on the air sometime and maybe we can talk shop. I hope to get the chance to catch all of you guys on the air, because I am proud to be in the ham radio fraternity. This is what ham radio is truely about.

I can often be found running CW on 20, 30 and 40 meters, in addition to SSB. On ten meters I am often found around 28.400 MHz running SSB. Thanks for the lifting story. There are still a lot of decent people out on the ham bands.
Steve Moore
AA8EK

 

I love the way people flock to each others aid when they know they can truly make a differance. I was shot six times eight years ago, and was left for the birds as far as walking goes, but my stubborn wife wouldnt do a cotton picken thing for me but nag at how lazy i was,( Boy did I hate that woman)! After taking all I could from her I finaly decided to get off my butt and walk again,just so I couldnt hear her! I finaly learned how to walk and climb and run again after nearly six months. Since I have accomplashied so much now, I have helped many others in getting on their feet.I have now become a volunteer in my area to laugh at all of those silly people who think they cant get on the air because they cant read for the test, or even put up their antennas due to some physical challange. I have also taken time to listen to my wife on some things and disregard her on others, (such as slow down, and dont worry about what they want or need .) I continue to help when and where I can, and if you are in the Sacramento area, and need some help I wont smile to big or laugh to loud, but I will help you too. 73's

 

My hat is off to all of you that helped...You guys are a "class act"
Very 73 to all of you from Oregon
Ron
AC7DX

 

Oh my god. I can bot believe how many kind deep and true responses I had recieved on my article about my friend Billy Wise. I have been trying to e.mail one by one and thank you for youre kind response.It is amazing how many other hams besides myself and billy have disibilities of there own. It seems so many have a cross to bare in one way or another. Me with my sever back injury put it aside and helped a less fortunate man then I. It is so nice to know that there is so many other hams in my position and even less fortunate that will do what ever it takes to help the less fortunate. Ham radio is so great for so many reasons. It brings a whole world together and makes us one. For those of you that have helped the less fortunate gentlemen my hats off to each and every one of you for youre help and support for those that can not do it themselvs. In todays age with so much negitivity and violence and war. It is so great to know that people still do good for others that are in need. Me personaly I just did what ever it took to help a man a friend in need. My pain level was through the roof and me nearly in tears but put it aside to make sure the job was done. I dealt with the sever pain after the job and my reward was to see a man that can not walk run or even move but still be able to see the world. That was my reward to see him happy and smile. Gentlemen thankyou all and God Bless best 73.
               Eddie Barra AE2B










 

 

I have found out over the course of many years that what comes around goes around. I would bet my last dollar that at some time Billy will do something for those that helped him that they can't do for themselves. (if he hasn't already)

Good story, THIS is what it's all about, for sure!

73 to all - WD8OQX

 

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (AE2B @ Oct. 01 2002,17:10)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">This story is about myself and a friend thats a quadriplegic handi ham. My name is Eddie Barra AE2B his name is Billy Wise N2UQC born with Muscular distrophy. We both are 40 years old. Well Billy was promised over one year by a fellow ham to assemble his Mosley TA-53M and never did so. I had bumped into billy in a local diner and told me of his delema. Well I went there and assembled his antenna in one day.I then got a hold of another ham friend George Cortez NE2I and we had installed the roof tower strong enough for over 400 lbs between both of us to stand on it. Then we had gotten a few neighborhood guys and got the antenna top side.

Well it was then calabrated by myself. I then had to get ahold of my friend Tom Perry W2BIS because he is a retired electrical engineer from IBM. The problem is Billy can not move not even his hands so tom had to configure a computer controled  system from the Cuchina company and interface it with billys computer via touch pad. His hf radio and rotor is a computer screen all done by touch pad. So Tom had finally got done with this task and I climbed back on the roof and recalabrated his beem once again. So now Billy is doing so well on hf it was beyond his exptations and he is so happy.

Me myself.  I had been put back together after five surgeries with massive ammounts of titanium in my back and tendon and muscle relocation in my right lower leg and foot . I had a sever crippleing injury on the railroad and got a disibility after 15 years. I see a man like Billy and was promised over a year to have his been done. It never happened so I had taken the task of doing it all for him with help from two other great hams. Though I have severe pain and loss of movement in my legs. I put my pain and my problems aside and helped a man that has a lot tougher problem then I. So now Billy is 100% and thrilled. This is a major thing in a mans life with so little to do. So when someone wants something done that is less fortunate then others I pray and hope that theres more people like myself to come forward and help the less fortunate. Well best 73 to all who read this and see you all on hf.
                       Eddie Barra AE2B[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>

 

Wonderful Job Eddie,Tom, and George! I am very sure Billy has really enjoyed getting on HF...and I would also like to say righto on to AA8EK....Amatuer radio is one of those hobbys you can do from a wheelchair to a hospital bed. The ham radio is a place that welcomes anybody from the young to the old to people who mare disabled....

I know a guy down here in texas who had a accident and hurt his back he stayed on the radio while he was at the hospital and then while he was at home..he just now started going back to work...

I will say 73 before I repeat myself.....

73 to all and God Bless!!

-Steve,KD5OWO

 

It is GREAT to see hams helping out other hams.
Thats what its all about.
Great job guys.
Glad to see that there are still caring people in this world.


Keep ham radio ALIVE

73
Doug(kc8fks)