A 100-year-old World War Two veteran from Harrow is finally coming home from a hospital in British Columbia thanks to an anonymous member of the community.
As you heard first on AM800 News on September 18, the family of William (Bill) Shea has been trying to get him back to the region since late August.
A member of the community heard about his story and has stepped forward to cover the $60,000 cost for an air ambulance, which will arrive in Windsor at 6 p.m. Monday evening before he's taken to a local hospital for assessment and treatment.
Shea had travelled to Chilliwack, B.C., on August 13 to meet up with family members for a cruise to Alaska. He returned to Chilliwack on August 24 but the next day was taken to the hospital suffering from a bladder infection, pneumonia in one lung, and problems with his kidneys.
He's been in that hospital since then, while his daughter, Maureen Rudowicz, has been working to bring him back to a hospital in Windsor-Essex with the goal of getting him into his home.
He was not being allowed to fly on a commercial flight home due to mobility issues and the need to remain on a stretcher, and efforts to have his air ambulance covered by his Veterans Affairs Canada benefits were denied.
Rudowicz says they are very grateful to the anonymous donor and that she cried when she got the news.
"It's amazing," she says. "There are very good people in this world."
When Shea arrives back in Windsor, local Legion members plan to be there with banners and signs to welcome him home.
Shea joined the Canadian military in 1941 at the age of 15 and would later serve as a tail gunner in the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1943. After his military service, he served as a Windsor Police officer.
This past March, Essex Conservative MPP Anthony Leardi presented Shea with the King Charles III Coronation Medal, recognizing an individual's significant contribution to Canada or to a particular region.