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Get Marty: Father, Son Team Move In To Help Disabled Veteran

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- It's a task we all take for granted, getting up and down stairs.

But for Roger Madden it presents quite the challenge.

For Roger, crawling up is much more difficult than crawling down.

"Something I had to teach myself to do," he says.

The 53-year-old Army veteran suffered a massive stroke three years ago. He was sent home from a rehab facility and has crawled his stairs alone for nearly a year.

"It's what you've got do. It's day-by-day," says Roger. "What are you going to do, be mad and have regrets? There's nothing I can do about it."

Roger is on full disability.

However, Medicare doesn't cover chairlifts or hand rails in the bathroom. As a result, he's stuck without a reasonable way to get up and down his stairs or into his shower.

KDKA's Marty Griffin: "What can we do that would really make a difference?"

Roger: "Getting up and down the stairs would be great."

Enter the Ponsi family, Joe and Joe. The Ponsis have been taking care of folks for more than 60 years with their shoe and medical supply business.

The Ponsis did the walk through of Roger's house, everything needs to be changed - the bathroom, the shower, the stairs, the entry way - and they plan to do it all.

"We go into homes; it just makes you sad to see how people are living," said Joe Sr. "It's way beyond what you would expect in the United States."

It's something they will not allow in Roger's home.

"I hope he is able to get into his home, and live a little more comfortably," said Joe, Jr.

If you'd like Marty to help you solve your problem, email him at GetMarty@kdka.com.

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