“God is looking after me.”
Patrick Steck hasn’t let a severe stroke he suffered seven years ago stop him, and he has Huffman Place to thank. At Huffman, he’s been able to maintain his independence and become part of a caring community.
After Patrick Steck recovered from a severe stroke in 2001, he needed a helping hand.
“I was in a coma for two months,” he says. “I woke up on my 63rd birthday. Doctors said I would never walk or talk again. I don’t really know why I’m alive; I shouldn’t be. God is looking after me. He’s saying, ‘You just stay right here. You’re not going anywhere.’”
As a result of the stroke, Patrick lost his sense of smell and taste but eventually regained motor function of most of his body except for his left arm and hand. He was unable to work and had piles of medical bills. He moved into a nursing and rehabilitation center for a short period of time after his stroke and then to Florida, where his two daughters cared for him for nine months.
Patrick wanted to move back to Dayton, where he was raised, so his family helped him find Huffman Place. Coincidentally, the St. Mary Development Corporation-owned, senior building is located around the corner from his boyhood home. He moved in five years ago shortly after the building was completed.
An electrician by trade, Patrick is also an Army veteran, former athlete, and a member of the Kentucky Colonels, Free Masons, VFW, and AMVETS. He’s proud to say he never was late to work in his entire career.
“If I could get this left arm going, I’d go back to work,” he says.
Patrick needed housing that would respect his independence yet encourage community, and Huffman Place provided the perfect balance. Now, he enjoys staying up-to-date on current events and rooting for the University of Kentucky Wildcats.
“It’s the best place and the cheapest place,” says Patrick. “It’s quiet. Nobody bothers you.”
Despite the privacy, there is also a sense of community at Huffman Place. Neighbors look out for each other. He has his neighbors’ names and phone numbers programmed into his phone, just in case anyone ever needs anything.
“If I don’t hear from somebody in a day or so, I’ll call them,” he says. “They do that downstairs at the front desk too.”
During the holidays, Patrick hosted a Christmas dinner for his family in the large community dining room.
“My family came in for Christmas, and there were 12 of them, so we made reservations for the dining room downstairs,” he says.
Activities are always in full-swing in the activities room, whether people are playing dominoes, cards or chair volleyball. Lunch is served Monday through Friday in the dining room, and shuttle services take residents to the grocery and church, but Patrick prefers to drive himself.
“There’s always plenty of stuff to do,” he says.
Although he has had to give up many of his old activities, he is thankful to have found Huffman Place.
“This is the cheapest place you can find,” says Patrick. “They take pretty good care of you in here too.”
Patrick Steck says Huffman Place is the best and cheapest place to live. “They take pretty good care of you in here too,” he adds.
We work toward the day when
all residents of southwest Ohio -- especially the economically disadvantaged -- have a decent, affordable
place to live and become part of a thriving community.
