5 On Your Side
Disabled Man Enduring Cold Showers, Meals
Posted: Nov 16, 2011 7:45 AM
Updated: Nov 16, 2011 8:12 AM
MCALLEN - No hot showers and very cold meals are causing major headaches for a disabled McAllen man.
Pete Martinez lives on a privately owned trailer park. The owner turned off the gas for safety reasons. The lines are old and need repairs. Martinez is on a fixed income and can't afford to move or have the trailer rewired for just electricity. His sisters don't want him to cut corners because he's wheelchair bound.
Love runs deep in the Martinez family. Even when luck seems to run out, they've got each other.
"That's the one thing that my mom told us before she passed away: to watch over him," says sister Mary Martinez.
Pete Martinez earned a bachelor's degree from South Texas College. Mary Martinez and Anna Barreiro still worry about their older brother. Polio and meningitis left Martinez without the use of his legs when he was just 9 months old. Martinez has struggled to find work.
"Well, I could work, but I just haven't gotten too many opportunities," says Martinez.
"There was a time when he asked for work and he went in with his degrees and resumes and they told him they wanted mobile people," says Barriero.
Barriero says her brother only scrapes by on Social Security. Lately, things have gotten much more difficult for him. The owner of the trailer park where he lives turned off the gas.
The owner says it's a safety concern because the lines need repairs. The owner says Martinez can move the trailer or live without the gas. Martinez can't afford to rewire the trailer. His sisters say they want to give him an electric stove and water heater, but the wiring must be done right to prevent an electrical fire.
"You've got to roll with the punches. You can't really take it personal," says Martinez.
Martinez tries to maintain his good attitude enduring all the cold showers. His meals are cold, too. Martinez's sisters just want their brother to live a comfortable life.
CHANNEL 5 NEWS spent the last three days making calls. We learned electricity is a viable option, and the owner doesn't have to offer natural gas.
