Samantha was an apprentice electrician, installing controls for HVAC systems while working for Low-Voltage Solutions in Dallas. Low-Voltage Solutions Inc has offices in the DFW area, Austin, San Antonio and Oklahoma City, and is a leading provider of low-voltage electrical installations specializing in building automation, fire alarm, security, electrical monitoring, lighting controls and other low-voltage systems for commercial structures.

Some of the projects she worked on included the new Toyota headquarters, and the new Dallas Cowboys Training Facility. She attended Independent Electrical Contractors (IEC) as part of her apprenticeship training, and was preparing to become a safety representative for the company. She had just finished up her OSHA 30 training and was preparing for her OSHA 500 classes.

On May 20, 2018 Samantha was paralyzed in an auto accident!

The accident left her with a spinal cord injury at C6-C7, meaning that she is paralyzed from the mid-chest down, and has limited use of her hands and fingers. “Before the accident,” Samantha said, “I was a pretty tough chick. I found my niche in the construction industry, and had a job I absolutely loved. I used to be able to carry around 12-foot ladders, and now I can’t blow dry my own hair.”

Samantha lived with her son at her parents house, and like all new found individuals living with a life-altering trauma she had many needs. They had been referred to The Joseph Groh Foundation through the Baylor Institute for Rehabilitation in Dallas and the Christopher Reeve Foundation.

At the time Samantha’s mom contacted the foundation, every resource she had talked with had fallen through. Her mom told them that if Samantha were on Medicaid, more doors would be open and more services would be available. Their house has an unusual design for the DFW area. It features a drive under garage/basement, and Samantha’s room was in the basement. It has access to the outdoors through the garage and has a bathroom, but it is small and not accessible for someone in a wheelchair. Samantha’s mom said that the bathroom was a top priority at this point, because she was having to take Samantha outside to shower. Can you even imagine yourself in this situation?

Thank goodness, their top priority was able to be resolved through your generosity!

About The Joseph Groh Foundation

Joe Groh has been active in the heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) industry for the past 35 years. On Father’s Day of 2008, following a day spent with family, Joe decided to go for an aerobic bike ride along the trails of Lake Grapevine. At one point the trail turned sharply left and the front tire of Joe’s mountain bike slid on some sand and off the trail. Joe was thrown headfirst over the handlebars, breaking his neck and damaging his spinal cord at the C-4 vertebra. Knowing that life had suddenly and unalterably changed, Joe vowed to never look back, never give up and to remain positive.

Establishing The Joseph Groh Foundation, a 501(c)(3) tax-deductible foundation, is Joe’s way of giving back to the construction trades industry by:

• Serving as a clearinghouse of information for those with spinal cord injuries.
• Encouraging companies to offer and employees to purchase short and long-term disability insurance.
• Financially assisting those with a connection to the construction trades industry who are living with a life altering injury or illness.

Learn more about Joe and the foundation at http://www.josephgrohfoundation.org.