Family of well-loved London, Ont. barber Eddie Lopez seeks accessible home
In the summer of 2022, London, Ont. barber and business owner Eddie Lopez suffered a brain aneurysm, heart attack, stroke, and seizure while watching his daughter Anastaysa play soccer at a tournament in Ottawa.
Life turned upside down for the family.
“It’s been a lot, for sure,” said Anistasya while talking with CTV News on Thursday.
“We’re all struggling, all of us, but you know we’re just stronger together,” added her mom, Lopez’s wife Jody Davis.
Shortly after that incident, an online crowd-funding campaign was set up to help the family with bills and other living expenses.
Now 38, Lopez continues to recover at Parkwood Hospital in London. “He is doing really, really good right now, actually,” said Davis. “He’s talking, eating regularly, moving his arms and legs and things like that, so he’s doing really, really well.”
Once again, the family is in need of aid. Once Lopez is well enough to be released from hospital and come home, he’ll need accessible housing.
Right now, they’re in a two storey townhouse. They’re looking for a new home to rent, but so far they have struck out.
London barber and business owner Eddie Lopez continues to recover at Parkwood Hospital. (Source: Submitted)
“A place where it’s a one floor place is what we’ve been trying to find,” said Davis. “Preferably with a stand-up shower so that I can roll him in there. It’s hard because places are also very expensive. And technically, although he has a business, he’s not working, so he doesn’t really make money from that. Prices right now are just crazy.”
Karla McLean, the chair of The Angel Project, a charity that supports people living with disabilities, told CTV News that they’re getting a significant number of requests for people who need help with home modifications, such as chair lifts. When it comes to finding accessible housing in Ontario, she said the struggle is real.
“It’s almost impossible. We’re finding it very, very difficult for people now to secure any kind of rental with a disability that is accessible for them. Advocate, advocate for your loved one, for yourself, if you have a disability and you’re trying to secure accommodation.”
She advises people to work with their landlords to modify homes to meet accessibility needs and standards.
If you have an accessible home for rent, you can contact Jody Davis at 519-872-2288.
In the meantime, Anistasya said the family is staying strong and positive just like her dad, “From what I’ve seen in the hospital, he’s always pushing, he’s still the most positive guy I know. I really thought that maybe he’d be angry all the time, but he’s always smiling and laughing at all times.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Air traveller complaints to Canadian Transportation Agency hit new high
The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.
LIVE @ 1:15 PT B.C. premier to give announcement related to public drug use
B.C.'s premier is scheduled to give an update Friday about public drug use in the province.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
AFN chief says Air Canada offered a 15% discount after her headdress was mishandled
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief complained to Air Canada about how staffers treated her and her ceremonial headdress on a flight this week, she says the airline responded by offering a 15 per cent discount on her next flight.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.
76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid says he has Bell's palsy
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis he says has affected him since before the play-in tournament.
DEVELOPING Bird flu outbreaks: WHO weighs in on public health risk
The current overall public health risk posed by the H5N1 bird flu virus is low, the World Health Organization said on Friday, but urged countries to stay alert for cases of animal-to-human transmission.
Island near Mull of Kintyre for sale for US$3.1 million
An idyllic 453-acre private island is up for sale off the west coast of Scotland and it comes with sandy beaches, puffins galore, seven houses, a pub, a helipad and a flock of black-faced sheep.