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by Shena Abercrombie | The Flint Journal
Thursday September 25, 2008, 4:44 PM
METAMORA TOWNSHIP, Michigan -- Pat Pozzi kept a newspaper article about Justin Willard in her living room, so she wouldn't forget the Lapeer teen who contracted meningitis and was now paralyzed from the neck down. There was something she needed him to help her do -- repay a debt of gratitude. In 2001 Pozzi's husband, Vincent, had just had an arteriovenous malformation, or what Pozzi calls the granddaddy of all aneurysms.
The cerebral hemorrhage was so severe that it crushed his brain stem, and hopes of his survival were slim at best. "God blessed him, for all intents and purposes he shouldn't have lived," said Pozzi, who is dean of students at Turrill Elementary in Lapeer. "He lived for almost seven years. He was paralyzed on his left side and he was on tubal feeding." That is when friends, family and community members stepped in to help the Metamora family. There were tons of fundraisers -- dueling pianos in Pontiac, Halloween auctions and Texas Hold 'Em tournaments -- to help cover the cost of medical bills and equipment such as an accessible van and a motorized lift to help him move around the room. "If it hadn't been for all the people who helped me, I couldn't have helped Justin," Pozzi said. Earlier this month Pozzi handed over the keys and title to her 2001 Ford Econoline to Willard and his mom, Michelle Steele. "Vince died May 31. I'm doing this in my his memory. It's nothing probably tons of other people wouldn't do," Pozzi said. It's fully equipped with a hydraulic lift that the family greatly needed to transport Willard to doctors' appointments and physical therapy. "She's my angel," said Steele who had been raising money with a yard and with the help of friends, planned a benefit dinner to raise money to cover medical bills and purchase a new set of "wheelz" for Willard. Pozzi said there was no charge for the van, but there was a catch. The family had to pay it forward. Not familiar with the term? It's a movement to conduct acts of service to strangers, who then go on to do the same for others, thereby changing the world. Pozzi didn't want any recognition for the donation. "Honestly, it's nothing I did," she said. Steele said it was a big deal for her family. The van alone is valued at $7,000. Others agree. "It helps people to see that even in tough times we can help other people, we're all struggling," said Jan Jacobs, a Steele family friend. Those who know Pozzi aren't surprised by the huge gift. "She learned so much through the experience with her husband," said family friend Diane Jones, who has known Pozzi for 27 years. "The generosity of so many people touched her so much that she wants to give back. All she asks is that you pass it on
and touch someone else's life."
Michelle Steele watches her son Justin Willard, 18, earlier this month at their home in Lapeer. Willard, diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia in June 2005, requires constant medical attention from his mother and nurses. "We've really been blessed," said Steele. "A lot of people in this town have really helped us out quite a bit." Pat Pozzi of Metamora recently donated a wheelchair accessible van to the family in honor of her late husband.
Flint Journal extras
• Pay It Forward is a novel by Catherine Ryan Hyde, which was later developed into a motion picture in 2000 starring Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt and Haley Joel Osment.
• To make donations to a fund for Justin Willard, call (810) 834-9561.
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