Sometimes help comes from where you least expect it.
Bob and Patti Heath, owners of American Fitness Center on Dixie Highway, are holding a special fund-raiser to assist gym member Frank Grainer, who was recently in a devastating car accident. The couple is raffling off a one-year gym membership including 10 personal training sessions.
According to Frank Grainer’s wife, Janalee, the accident happened on Oct. 5 at 12:55 p.m. along U.S. 23 at Clyde Rd. in Livingston Co. Janalee said that Grainer was driving with the flow of traffic along U.S. 23 when the two vehicles in front of him changed lanes, neither vehicle showing any signs of slowing. At that moment, the Clarkston resident sneezed and did not see an empty two-level car transport stopped ahead. Grainer’s vehicle crashed into the back of the large truck.
‘He lost his left foot at the scene,? said Janalee. ‘They amputated the rest up to about six inches from his knee.?
Grainer suffered multiple severe leg injuries and has undergone a couple different operations to repair the damage. He has been in intensive care at the University of Michigan Hospital since the accident, and was recently placed in the step down unit.
‘He’s been making miraculous recovery,? said Janalee. ‘His morale is good. He’s grateful to be alive.?
Doctors have told the family that Grainer will be able to walk again with the assistance of a prosthetic leg; however, the recovery process will be slow with initial results taking up to a year to see.
‘Frank wants to get the word out though about all of this,? said Janalee. ‘He has this second chance and he’s so grateful to be alive.
‘He’s really seeing this as a turning point in life. He’s taken this as a positive, not a negative. He’s been such an inspiration to me.?
Grainer, 47, and his family – including children Chelsea, 13; Morgan, 10; and Callaway, 3 – have lived in Clarkston since the summer of 1994. The Clarkston resident worked as an eyeglass frame salesman and would travel all over the area; however, Janalee said he always made time for his morning workout.
‘Frank came here every single morning,? agreed Bob Heath of American Fitness. ‘He’d show up, workout, shower and then go to work. He’s been coming here since January of 2001.?
Bob and Patti Heath are holding a fund-raiser to help Grainer’s family raise money for his rehabilitation, including purchasing any necessities – like a wheel chair or prosthetic leg – insurance may not cover.
‘I’m doing this just to help them out,? said Heath. ‘The prosthetics leg alone has to cost. I’m doing this because if it were me… I’m doing it just to help buy a leg or a wheel chair or whatever he needs.
‘I’m doing it because I want to, just because I want to.?
The raffle officially began this past Monday, Oct. 17, and will run through Dec. 17, when the drawing will be held. Tickets are $10 an entry. The winner will receive a one-year gym membership (valued at $415) and 10 one-hour personal training sessions (valued at $70 per session).
‘I just hope a lot of people participate and care,? added Heath.
To purchase a ticket, stop by the American Fitness Center on Dixie Highway. For more information on the raffle, please call Bob and Pattie Heath at 248-623-0099.
‘We are definitely an example of the community coming together and helping each other,? said Janalee. ‘I don’t have acquaintances here anymore, I have all true-blue friends.?