Get Marty: 9/11 Volunteer, Diagnosed With Terminal Illness, Needs Help To Finish His Home
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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- It was September 11, 2001. A local couple volunteered with other members of White Oak Rescue to drive to New York to help out. Nick and Margaret Ursta were at Ground Zero for several days.
"I'm a volunteer. I've been doing this since I was 16. It was horrifying to see. The smell of burning flesh. The steel. The jet fuel," says Nick Ursta.
Now, his doctors believe Nick contracted mesothelioma from asbestos at Ground Zero. Doctors say he has stage-three Mesothelioma, and the couple has been told Nick has one to five years to live.
"He's my entire life. He's all I've got," says Nick's wife, Margaret.
The couple has been together 35 years, but they've never owned their own home.
A few years back, they purchased a home about to be demolished in McKeesport. The call it their dream home.
Nick gutted the property and finished the top floor, but then he got sick.
"It's horrible. He can't lift a hammer. He's too sick. Please help us finish our home," says Margaret.
KDKA reached out to members of the Carpenter's Union. They will help to finish the home.
Matt Riberich, a local contractor, will help with the build out, and Tudi Mechanical will do the HVAC.
The Mon Valley Chamber of Commerce is also stepping up.
The couple really needs cash. They will need to pay for kitchen cabinets, siding for the house, roofing materials and a lot more. They will need thousands of dollars.
The family has set up a GoFundMe page.
If you would like to help the couple, visit the fundraising campaign page - Home Renovations for Nick Ursta.
If you'd like Marty to help you solve your problem, email him at GetMarty@kdka.com.
