Custom condo creates new life

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By Tory Brecht | Sunday, July 9, 2006 11:31 AM CDT | () comments

Photos by John Schultz/QUAD-CITY TIMES Amy Sater squirts out water in her new sink, as her mom, from right to left, Cori, aide and friend, Heather Benhart, and her father, Harold, watch as she adjusts to her new condo in LeClaire, Iowa. Amy was 18 when an appendectomy procedure went wrong and left her blind and paralyzed. Now 24, she has just closed on her own condo.

LeCLAIRE, Iowa — Popping leftovers into the microwave. Putting a dirty pan in the dishwasher. Hanging a towel on a rack in the bathroom. Mundane tasks for most, but Amy Sater beams with the knowledge that she can do all of them now — minus any assistance — in her new condominium.

Sater, formerly of Low Moor, Iowa, was 18 when a routine operation performed by a surgeon from DeWitt — who is now banned from practicing medicine — went horribly wrong and left her confined to a wheelchair with respiratory, vision and speech difficulties.

Now 24, and speaking and moving dramatically better, she is, for the first time, tasting independence from her parents, thanks to a specially equipped home the family built in LeClaire with proceeds from a court settlement reached in 2004.

“It means a lot to be on my own,” said Sater, who was a high school student when the appendectomy was botched, leaving her hemorrhaging internally with a severed artery, major blood loss, leakage in the brain, collapsed lungs and failing kidneys. “I wanted to get out of my parents’ house.”

Her parents, though, will still be nearby. Harold and Cori Sater — who have cared for their daughter during long years of physical therapy and middle-of-the-night emergency runs to the hospital — are living in a condominium next door.

The two units share an adjoining door and both have extra-wide doors, virtually no hallways, hard wood or tile everywhere and low-level appliances and numerous grips to help Amy move out of her wheelchair. Her condo also has a physical therapy pool in the basement that can be accessed by an in-home elevator.

The home, located in a brand-new development, was built by Dan Dolan. The Saters praised his creativity and thoughtfulness in crafting their daughter’s dream home.

Her mother said Amy was so excited to move in that she began transferring items from her parents’ side as soon as they returned from the sale closing Thursday.

“We wanted something to give her independence,” Cori added.

They decided on LeClaire because it is closer to her doctors in the Quad-Cities compared with their home in Low Moor, yet it has a small-town feel.

Heather Benhart, Amy’s home health aide, said her patient’s already-remarkable recovery will likely get a boost.

“The girl has nine lives and is remarkably determined and has a will to fight and live,” she said. “This represents independence and will make her feel good about herself. She’s definitely come a long way and is really enjoying her life now.”

An aspiring cook, Amy particularly loves the condo’s kitchen with its specially arranged appliances that will allow her to develop her culinary skills.

“I like to cook different things, but I really like desserts,” she said. “I cook a lot of cheesecakes.”

In addition to her first home, Amy is about to begin her first job, working as a volunteer at Genesis Medical Center.

One of the first things she moved into her new closet was a bright blue shirt with the hospital’s logo and a volunteer nametag.

“It’s nice to be on my own,” she said.

Tory Brecht can be contacted at (563) 383-2329 or tbrecht@qctimes.com.