A kindhearted neighbor surprised an injured veteran who lives next door by building him a brand-new deck to relax on.
Joel Zylstra, 55, from Grand Rapids, Michigan, has known his neighbor, Clyde, and his wife, Tiffany, for around 15 years.
Throughout this time, Joel said Clyde and Tiffany have been very kind neighbors, surprising his wife with the likes of a flowering plant on Mother’s Day and always showing a friendly face.
One day, while Joel was building his own deck, Clyde approached and said he wished he had a small deck to step away from his home, grill, and leave his regular chair too.
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So, Joel decided to pay it forward and surprise him by building exactly that – and when Clyde, who Joel believes is in his 60s, was in Chicago for the weekend, he got to work.
It was during this point Joel also discovered Clyde had a bad back, knees and chronic pain from being an Army paratrooper – something his humble neighbor had never even mentioned to Joel, who didn’t know he was a veteran.
Then, on June 15, once Clyde had returned, Joel surprised him with the wonderful new deck, which clearly touched his neighbor.
Joel captured the surprise and his building project on video, which he shared on social media where it went viral – creating even more good for Clyde.
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While working on the deck, Joel discovered Clyde and Tiffany’s roof was “toast,” as well as their air conditioning.
He mentioned this on his video, including a link to a GoFundMe page, which soon raised $4,800 so the injured veteran could have those major components of his home repaired.
Joel said: “Clyde’s reaction was so priceless and genuine – he had no Idea it was going to happen.
“After I started building, he had to go to Chicago for the weekend.
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“It wasn’t until I was building the deck that I learned his knees and back were in chronic pain from being an Army paratrooper.
“Up to this point, I didn’t even know he was a veteran – he is very humble.
“He loves to sit on the deck at night and enjoy the peace and quiet, and also to entertain company in the fresh air.”
