Plumber Refuses to Charge 91-Year-Old Customer Suffering from Leukemia for Services
A generous plumber’s act of kindness is going viral this week after he refused to charge a 91-year-old woman for repairing her leaking boiler.
On Sept. 9, Christine Rowlands of Padiham in the United Kingdom posted a photo of an invoice sent to her from the plumber she had contracted to service her mother’s broken-down boiler.
Rowlands had said the experience was a stressful one for her family, calling it “big drama” in a Facebook post. She had gone to her mom’s house and discovered that the boiler was leaking, causing problems for the 91-year-old, who suffers from leukemia and is currently receiving hospice care.
Rowlands called her sister, who enlisted plumber James Anderson to come and fix the boiler. Anderson arrived and repaired the issue, letting Rowlands know that he would email her an invoice with the charges.
But when the email came, the grateful daughter could hardly believe her eyes.
“No charge for this lady under any circumstances,” Anderson had written on the memo. He described Rowlands’ mother’s condition and noted that his plumbing service would be “available 24 hour to help her and keep her as comfortable as possible.” The balance due was listed as zero.
“How kind is this,” Rowlands wrote, calling Anderson, “an Angel dressed as a plumber.”
Rowlands soon discovered that Anderson is the owner of a nonprofit repair company and that her own mother is not the first elderly person to benefit from his help. With D.E.P.H.E.R, or “Disabled & Elderly Plumbing and Heating Emergency Repair,” Anderson aims to give older citizens access to everyday fixes around the house without making them feel burdensome to their families.
He and a team of other volunteers do all the work for free.
“My hope is to get Depher national, in every city and town,” Anderson told the BBC. He said that his company allows the elderly to maintain their independence without relying so heavily upon family members or friends. Having access to plumbing repairs enables them to live freely in their own homes longer, knowing that if something breaks, they won’t have to worry about bills.
Anderson believes he is working for an important cause — one that is all too often left behind as it isn’t always glamorous or flashy. But his service is significant, nonetheless.
“There are too many elderly and disabled people suffering in silence,” he told the BBC. “They don’t like asking for help. They don’t want to be a burden. We take away the burden, the stigma.”
“Being old does not make you any less of a person,” he wrote on Facebook.
The plumber said that the huge outpouring of responses to Rowlands’ post is a good thing for D.E.P.H.E.R, as it may mean more donations to his cause. He called the public reaction “absolutely global,” as online users all over the world continue to share the heartwarming story.
“It’s going to give it a boost,” he said.
Anderson, who does not accept payments or a salary directly, is determined to continue his work, in spite of growing debts. Even now, however, he doesn’t want to grab too much credit, selflessly attributing the nonprofit’s success to “community effort.”
“We all do what we can and we all come together as a community. We need to be a human race, to look out for each other.”
When asked how long he plans to keep the project running, Anderson told the BBC he would keep working until “the day God calls me.”
The Western Journal has reached out to Christine Rowlands for comment but has not yet received a response. We will update this article if and when we do.
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