Students at A.T. Still University's Arizona School of Health Sciences recently partnered with the Rebuilding Together Valley of the Sun to build an accessibility ramp at the home of a Mesa resident with a chronic pulmonary disease. 

The students came together to help build a ramp for Mesa resident Christine Vanek who has limited mobility due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The ramp will allow Vanek to enter and exit her home using her walker. 

“This means the world to me,” Vanek said in a press release. “I can get in and out of my house without worrying about falling. I’ve always been a very active person, but I’ve been stuck inside for almost two years now. The ramp has allowed me to get out and socialize. I feel very blessed.”

The school provided the funds and the volunteers for the project as part of its 125th anniversary celebration, while Rebuilding Together designed and supervised the project's construction. 

“The opportunity to build a ramp and improve the quality of life for an individual in need is priceless,” ATSU third-year dental student and project volunteer Alexander Yaldoo said in a statement. “This experience reminds me that I can help people in many ways, in and out of a health care setting.”