Scott McKinney, left, B.J. McGary, center, and Lance Collier work on an access ramp at the Harmon home in Prospect. About 30 volunteers worked to make the house handicapped-accessible for Jim Harmon, who was partially paralyzed Sept. 5 while helping a friend.

According to Dawn Syzmoniak of Prospect, three blessings came from the accident suffered by her father Jim Harmon.

First, the community came together in a powerful way to renovate Harmon's home after he was injured in a fall Sept. 5 at the Presbyterian Church of Prospect.

While he and another man were hauling an old sink down the stairs, Harmon fell and hit the back of his head, causing paralysis from the neck down.

He was rushed to the hospital and operated on Sept. 6. Doctors removed a few discs from his neck and inserted a steel rod, Syzmoniak said.

After spending five weeks in rehabilitation, Harmon returned home Oct. 21.

"Even though we were a close family, we've actually become closer," said Syzmoniak, listing what she considers the second blessing. "We look at things a little differently now."

Harmon's mobility is slowly returning and he now has use of his right arm and is able to operate his wheelchair and stand or walk for short periods of time with leg braces and a modified walker.

"At rehab, they don't really give prognoses," said Harmon, 67. "As long as you see improvement, you can keep going."

While at the hospital, doctors discovered calcium deposits on Harmon's spine, which Syzmoniak said is the third blessing. If left undiscovered, the deposits could have eventually caused paralysis on their own.

Harmon is well-known in his community, and news of his injury spread quickly. In addition to serving as an elder, deacon and trustee at church, Harmon is president of Prospect's borough council, president of the Prospect Area Preservation Society and treasurer of Sons of the American Revolution.

A few days after the accident, Syzmoniak planned a town meeting to organize the outpouring of support.

More than 50 people attended the meeting, exceeding all Syzmoniak's expectations."Mom and Dad have always been very active in the community and the church, so I knew when I got the word out that people would come," Syzmoniak said. "I got there first, but they just kept coming."Syzmoniak organized a list of peoples' names and capabilities and scheduled work days over the weekends of Oct. 9 and 16.Professional contractors B.J. McGary, Bob Fisher and Lance Collier, all of Prospect, gave their time and coordinated building plans and the volunteers.Countless others stopped by the house to provide meals, clean up construction dust, pack boxes and more, McGary said.McGary's daughters even videotaped volunteers during the work days to keep Harmon updated while he was hospitalized."People don't realize those are all the things that make a job happen," McGary said. "It was nice to see the community come together like that.Community members gave donations and the Harmons will cover a portion of the expenses, McGary said."As far as labor, it was completely 100 percent free."McGary said he was drawn to the project because his sister grew up using a wheelchair and he is familiar with how the disability impacts a family."You take care of those who take care of you," McGary said. "Jim has given a lot to his community over the years and he still gives."The most difficult part was organizing volunteers since so many people wanted to get involved, McGary said."We all kind of laughed and joked and said it was Extreme Home Makeover: Prospect Edition," McGary said. "Only we did it without 300 people; we did it with about a tenth of that."

In just over a week, volunteers elevated the home's 12-by-12-foot deck to match the floor height so Harmon can enter and exit more easily, and they installed almost 60 feet of ramp around the house.The builders kept within the Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility guidelines.In addition, the bathroom was renovated to include a floor-level shower, a handicapped accessible toilet and sink and a widened doorway to accommodate a wheelchair. Another entrance was also cut into the wall from Harmon's bedroom.The home was also rewired to install lower light switches and put Harmon's hospital bed on a dedicated circuit.As a finishing touch, volunteers power-washed the exterior of the house, McGary added."They went above and beyond," Harmon said.Harmon returned to his renovated home Oct. 21 surrounded by family and a few close friends."He didn't really cry but you could see the tears welling up in his eyes," said McGary.Syzmoniak said that though family is grateful for the outpouring of generosity, they were not entirely surprised."It was a very nice, overwhelming feeling of how many people do care," she said. "With the type of society we have today, everybody's so busy that a lot of people keep to themselves, but our little town of Prospect isn't like that."

B.J. McGary walks through the renovations at the Harmon home in Prospect, which was made handicapped accessible by volunteers.

Bob Fisher cuts trim for the kitchen area at the home of Jim Harmon in Prospect. Fisher is among volunteers helping adjust the home to accommodate Harmon.