BERGHEIM, Texas – For the last 49 years, Joe and Donna Agruso have stayed together side by side, and they can’t imagine it any other way.
“He’s my rock,” Donna said. “We’ve been through a lot.”
Eight years ago, Joe Agruso was diagnosed with cancer. After doctors removed a sarcoma from his leg, he started to lose his mobility. Now, he depends on his motorized wheelchair and an electric chair lift.
But just last week, the lift broke.
“I was like, ‘what are we going to do?‘” Donna Agruso said.
Donna called 911 and the Bergheim Volunteer Fire Department answered. Across multiple days, their team lifted Joe Agruso in and out of bed until they could find a temporary fix.
“They’re like family,” Joe Agruso said.
Adam Hawkins, the chief of the department, helped find a manual chair lift that Joe and Donna Agruso could borrow in the meantime.
“We like to say we’re problem solvers,” Hawkins said.
But the team didn’t stop there. Two other members found a way to fix their electric chair, and they did it for free.
“It’s a blessing,” Donna Agruso said. “They touched our hearts over and over and over and over.”
The Agruso’s daughter, Angela Marie Voss, sent a letter to the department after learning how they helped her parents. She organizes their care and helps fill in as a caregiver.
“There are not enough words to fully express the depth of my gratitude and appreciation for all you have done for my beautiful parents and our family over the years,” part of the letter from Angela reads. “Your commitment to serving Bergheim is nothing short of heroic. You’ve not only helped my parents time and time again, but you’ve done so with a grace and generosity that has left a lasting impression on our hearts.”
Angela said she wouldn’t be where she is today without her parents. She said they’re blessed to call the Bergheim Volunteer Fire Department part of their family.
“You are a blessing to our community, and we are beyond grateful for the love and protection you’ve extended to two of the most important people in my life,” her letter read.
To help support the Bergheim Volunteer Fire Department, click here.
