November 11 is a special day for all Americans. Each year, we take the day to honor those that have sacrificed so much for this country. But a single day of remembrance and gratitude doesn’t feel like enough. It will never be enough.

For the past couple of years at Welter Heating, we’ve wanted to say “thank you” to our veterans in a different way. One that lasts more than a day.

This Veteran’s Day, we want to share the story of the Graham family and how we’re giving back to our veterans, one air conditioner at a time.

Getting to Know the Graham Family

In St. Paul, Minnesota, you’ll find the Graham family — a family that knows what it means to serve. In fact, the family patriarch, Robert Graham, bravely served in the armed forces for several years, giving up much of his time at home with family. Today, he continues to lose that quality time due to dialysis.

According to the National Kidney Foundation, dialysis is a medical treatment that becomes necessary once your kidneys fail. Dialysis is able to keep your body functioning by “removing waste, salt, and extra water to prevent them from building up the body, keeping a safe level of certain chemicals in your blood, such as potassium, sodium, and bicarbonate, helping to control blood pressure.” Dialysis keeps the body working, but it is not a cure for kidney failure, meaning those undergoing dialysis treatments are in for a long road of discomfort.

Making Home a Little More Comfortable

Dialysis is an already uncomfortable treatment. And to go through it without an air conditioner in the thick of summer makes it all the more difficult.

Luckily, that’s an area where we knew we could help.

When we heard about the Graham family, we stepped into action. We asked Trane to provide the equipment, and we provided the labor, installing a new air conditioning unit in the hopes that it might make dialysis a little easier to sit through.

Breathing a Little Easier

Since installing a new air conditioner for the Grahams, our hope is that dialysis is a little easier to endure from here on out.

“I had to write and say thank you for the air conditioning unit installed in my parents’ home. As kids, we try and take care of the day-to-day, but the bigger things we were at a loss!” Robert’s daughter, Ramona, writes to us. “Thank you for providing much-needed cooling during my dad’s dialysis treatments!”

In response, we would just like to say that it is really all of us who should be thanking you. So, thank you all for your service and sacrifice.

And to those of you reading this: if you’re a veteran or a member of a veteran family, we’d like to extend our thanks to you as well.

More Veterans Need Our Help

There are more families out there like the Grahams that could use a little help. We encourage you to give back to our veterans this Veterans Day through Operation Homefront. Operation Homefront provides relief to military families facing a financial crisis, supplies caregivers for wounded soldiers, and supports every family member with celebrations.

If you know a veteran that has heating or cooling needs around the home, please contact us to let us know. We just might be able to help.