The Shadow
The Highlands community is pitching in to make life more comfortable for a Covington boy who suffers from a rare and painful genetic skin disorder.
Eleven-year-old Evan Groves suffers from epidermolysis bullosa, which causes blistering of the skin and mucous membranes.
Evan, a fifth grader at Jeter-Watson Intermediate School, has lost his ability to speak due to a tracheal tube that assists his breathing. He has also lost vision in one of his eyes.
Now, the disorder has progressed to the point where it is more difficult for Evan’s mother and caregivers to bathe him and dress his sores.
That has sparked a community effort to raise funds to build a bathroom addition onto Evan’s South Carpenter Drive home.
The bathroom would be connected to Evan’s bedroom and features a shower that would make it easier for him to bathe.
“All I?want to do is make it so he can have better day,” said David Willis, whose son, Parker, is Evan’s best friend.
The addition will cost $48,000 and since Willis began organizing fundraising efforts, he has received $7,800.
Men who attended a recent conference at Covington Baptist Church contributed more than $800 through a special offering.
“People have been extremely good since we started this,” Willis said.
After news of the fundraiser was posted on Facebook, a woman contacted Willis and offered to pay for a heat pump that will control the temperature in Evan’s bathroom — epidermolysis bullosa makes his skin extremely susceptible to temperature changes.
And, a contractor has offered to install the heat pump free of charge.
Jeter-Watson Intermediate School is planning to hold a dance with the proceeds earmarked for the building project.
“Several organizations and churches are working toward providing money or something toward this project,” Willis said.
An account has been established at Highlands Community Bank to handle contributions.
Checks can be mailed to the Evan Groves Benefit Fund, Highlands Community Bank, P.O. Box 1059, Covington, Va. 24426.
The community can follow Evan’s story on Facebook at Evans Journey Christina Rena McLaughlin.———————————————————————————————————————————-Parker Willis, left, and Evan Groves were guests of the University of Virginia football team in the fall of 2017, and Evan was named a “Thursday Hero”?by the Cavaliers. Parker’s father, David Willis, recently started an effort to build a bathroom addition for Evan at his South Carpenter Drive home that will make it easier for the 11-year-old to bathe. (Photo Courtesy David Willis)
