MONROE, Wash. — “Grandma Elsie” can’t stop bragging about the firefighter who changed her life.
She’s in her 90’s and said a dramatic life twist came after accidentally setting off her Life Alert pendant. She wears it in case of emergency and one press will alert and dispatch help.
The Monroe resident admits she didn’t realize she had activated her pendant when she was attempting to mow her lawn. Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue showed up and learned that it was a false alarm, but firefighter Brandon Huber felt compelled to help with the yard work.
“I have four sons so I told her we would come and take care of her lawn,” Huber said.
That’s when Huber started to ask Elsie about the condition of her aging home.
“It was in rough shape," Huber said. "Mostly wood and almost no paint to it needed some love.”
He said the Fire 7 Foundation supported his idea to paint her home and donated the supplies. Fire 7 foundation is a nonprofit that provides support for the community through financial, education and emotional means.
Huber said he and his sons provided the elbow grease and completed the project in about four days. The pristine white house with royal blue trim is a far cry from the original condition 1939 house that looked tattered for decades.
Elsie marveled at his old-fashioned attitude for helping a neighbor in need. “Nobody asking him to do this," she said. "He has four kids and works 24-hours shifts but he did this on the side and it’s amazing. It changed my life!”
Huber admits the attention he’s receiving makes him uncomfortable, but was willing to share the story in the hopes that it will inspire more people to reach across the fence and help someone in need just because.
Elsie said she wishes more people were like Brandon and not just because she finds him “very cute with his handlebar mustache!”