When I visit schools, I am sometimes asked if I know this or that person who also uses a wheelchair. Most of the time, the answer is no. However, due to connections through social media, I do know several more people that I likely never would have met. One of these individuals is Alex Malarkey and his mother Beth.
Alex and his dad, Kevin, were in a car accident when Alex was six-years-old. He received a very high level spinal injury and dad didn't have any lasting injuries. A few years after Alex's injury, he told a story that he went to heaven in the accident, but was sent back. Kevin wrote this account into a book called "A Boy Who Came back from Heaven." It was very popular and sold over 1 million copies. I believe it was also made into a movie. The problem is, the trip didn't happen.
A few years after the book's release, Alex became a Christian and boldly admitted the story was fiction, he made it up. Beth and Alex, along with others, tried getting the book taken off the market, but stores wouldn't listen. Thankfully, after years of trying, the true story was revealed and the book was no longer sold.
Now that he couldn't make money from book sales, Kevin left his wife, Alex, and took the other children with him. Alex is now 24 and lives with his mom as his only caregiver. They had been living in the same house since the accident, but Kevin decided he wants to sell it and has evicted Alex and Beth.
They went through several court sessions to overturn the eviction, but Beth's lawyer died unexpectedly in early September and left them without representation. Unable to find a place to purchase, they spent this past week moving to a temporary location until somewhere else can be found.
In many ways, Alex has a lot of the same care needs that I do. However, his injury is higher and included the brain stem which includes much more specialized care. Therefore, a house that works for his needs is not easy to find and any residence would likely require much renovating. You can watch a synopsis of his story done by Justin Peters Ministries, along with a link to help with funds.
I am very thankful for the parents and family God has blessed me with. Living the quad life is a challenge, but this type of situation is even worse in my thought. I ask for prayers for Alex and Beth that they may find a place to live soon. However, I also pray for Alex's dad Kevin, that he may truly come to God and love his entire family as he should. I keep hoping someone will buy the house and then let Alex and Beth continue to live there as renters or some type of arrangement.
Whatever comes, I'm thankful Alex came to Christ and was honest, even though it has cost him much in this life. I pray I would do the same if such a circumstance happened in my life.
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