Community goes to bat for 'the boys'
New home will meet ailing youngsters' needs
MACHIAS -- In this small Cattaraugus County town, Dalton and Wyatt Eisenhardt are known simply as "the boys."
Over the years, the rural community has looked out for Dalton, 10, and Wyatt, 8, raising money to help their parents, Vicki and Webb, meet the needs of the two boys battling a rare genetic disorder that causes severe problems breathing and swallowing.
Now, Machias is doing one better.
The community is pitching in to build the Eisenhardts a new home fitted for Dalton and Wyatt.
Plans call for a house with 3,800 square feet, providing room for the brothers to continue therapy and be schooled at home, plus enough storage for their many medical supplies, space for the nurses who provide around-the-clock care and a little privacy for big brother Tyler, 15.
The Eisenhardts are overwhelmed by the gesture -- and humbled.
"I was shocked at first," Vicki Eisenhardt said. "I thought they were kidding."
But this is how it works in small towns, said Dave Wright, who serves on the board of the American Legion post in Machias.
Neighbors rely on each other.
"This family never asks for help. They just struggle along," said Bob Ponton, another American Legion board member. "They're the ones you want to help."
The boys -- who were featured on the cover of the Kids Day edition of The Buffalo News in 2004 -- suffer from a disorder called unbalanced translocation chromosome 15.
Chromosome disorders show up differently in people, and doctors have been unable to find anyone, anywhere with quite the same problems as the boys.
All of their organs have been affected. They have no sense of touch. They have extensive lung damage. They breathe and are fed through tubes. They are unable to speak, and they communicate by signing.
Yet, for two youngsters who have endured numerous surgeries, and at times were not expected to live, they share a remarkable spirit and an infectious smile.
They enjoy music, riding bikes, watching hockey and attending Delevan Elementary School for a couple of hours three days a week.
Wyatt, who has only recently started eating, likes potato chips. Dalton, the sicker of the two, wants to be a firefighter.
While Medicaid pays for three-quarters of their medical expenses, Webb, a contractor, lost his health insurance this year, and the family's bills are piling up.
"How can I complain when I look at the boys?" Vicki Eisenhardt asked. "They don't complain. They persevere. They smile. We can learn from them."
Machias has.
Located about 45 miles southeast of Buffalo, Machias has a population of about 2,300. Its Main Street has a gas station, a library, a couple of churches, Lil's Deli, a surplus store and an American Legion Hall, home to the roughly 100 local veterans who started the Eisenhardt Project.
A couple of years ago, Glenn A. Pratt Jr. Post 1460 sponsored a gun raffle and auction to raise money for the boys, and the veterans decided to knock on the family's door to offer their help again.
They found the house the Eisenhardts rent on Main Street too small for the 24-hour care the boys need. The veterans debated building a small addition onto the premises, but the house needs other updates, as well.
"Why don't we just get a new house?" they said.
ABC's "Extreme Makeover" was contacted about the Eisenhardts, but the family was eliminated as a candidate for the TV show because they didn't own the home.
So folks in Machias decided to make something happen on their own. The American Legion post teamed up with the Christian Youth Corps and used the Legion post's money to purchase a two-year-old modular home in foreclosure.
An old house was demolished next door to First Christian Church of Machias, which offered the vacant Main Street parcel for the new residence.
The church, which has tax-exempt status, actually will take ownership of the home and grant the Eisenhardts free rent as long as the boys need medical help.
Organizers, meanwhile, called in favors.
Local companies are donating building materials, including stone and concrete for the foundation and basement.
Carpenters, electricians and cabinet makers are being asked to lend a hand.
Rich Gerlach, a retired operating engineer, was one of those on site this week. He's the town's building inspector, but he was there to help handle heavy equipment.
"Rich mentioned he can dig," said Wright, who's acting as general contractor for the project. "So he got the job."
A gun raffle and auction last Saturday helped raise about $24,000, while Joy Christian Church on Main Street is organizing a spaghetti dinner to raise more.
But the entire project is expected to cost about $75,000.
The Machias community has been generous with what it has, Ponton said. But its pockets aren't deep enough, so the American Legion has started a fund drive for the project.
Donations can be sent to the Sunshine Fund, American Legion Post 1460, P.O. Box 274, Machias, NY 14101.
"Good people will step up," Wright said confidently. "When you see the boys smile, you just can't say no."
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