ACWORTH, Ga. — Two brothers in Acworth, who were born with rare genetic conditions, just got one of the biggest surprises of their lives.
And their parents call it a life-changing blessing.
Sunshine on a Ranney Day is a nonprofit that renovates rooms and bathrooms for children with special needs.
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The nonprofit, which was founded by Peter and Holly Ranney, is funded by a furniture store, Sunny & Ranney, in Roswell.
These renovations aren’t just for looks.
They allow kids to do daily things that we might take for granted.
It took months of planning, demoing, and designing, but the reveal day finally arrived.
“I was completely blown away, I was like ‘I love this space!’” the boys’ mother Jen Burgess said.
John and Joseph are brothers born 16 months apart and both have a rare genetic condition that causes many issues like severe intellectual disabilities, impaired motor function, and epilepsy.
Mom and dad said these conditions make it difficult to do daily tasks, like showering and moving around the house.
“John needs monitoring 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” Jen said.
She takes overnight duties and slept on a small mattress on John’s floor.
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Now their sleeping conditions are built to their needs.
“It’s beyond anything I imagined. I tried to imagine but it just blew it out of the water. Yeah, I was blown away,” Jen said.
John hasn’t been able to take a proper shower for three years.
Now they can wheel him right in.
“As a father, being able to give John and Joseph baths and showers in a dignified manner, you know the dignity they really deserve. They will be like normal kids having a shower, so it will be good to see,” the boys’ father Jim Burgess said.
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“Things can get to look really medical, really quick, you know. There should be a difference between your home and a hospital bath or shower, you know. It’s gorgeous,” Jen said.
One of the best parts about Sunshine on a Ranney Day makeovers is that there’s no cost to the families, so they can focus and spend their money where they need to.
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