Pipestone County Star newspaper Pipestone, Minnesota,
Sunday, Feb. 1, 2020
About three-and-a-half years ago, Joe Mendro was
playing soccer with his kids in his yard when he
cut his foot on something.
He wasn’t sure what cut him, but wasn’t too
worried about it because it was just a small
wound, like a paper cut, said Mendro, 47, of
Pipestone. He treated the cut with an
over-the-counter antibiotic ointment and put a
bandage on it.
“A month after it happened, I just passed out in
the house,” Mendro said.
He woke up in a CT scanner at Avera McKennan in
Sioux Falls. Whatever cut him caused a bacterial
infection that he battled for the next three
years.
“I had about 12 surgeries on this foot before they
finally took the leg,” Mendro said.
The loss of his leg left him unable to drive,
leaving his wife Marsha as the lone driver for
their family. As such, Marsha had to take time off
of work to take Joe to doctor’s appointments and
was the only one who could transport their
children to various activities.
The ongoing medical procedures left Mendro unable
to work much of the time and took a toll on the
family’s finances.
As a result, Mendro ended up seeking assistance
for he and his family through Southwest Health and
Human Services. In the process he came across the
Veterans Services Office on a list of potential
resources that could provide help. Mendro served
four years in the Navy and four years in the
National Guard in the 1990s.
Mendro met with Renae Schuch, Pipestone County
Veterans Service Officer (VSO), and Schuch was
able to find a van that met Mendro’s needs. She
found the van through the Veteran Donor Connection
program operated by the New Ulm Chapter of
Disabled American Veterans (DAV) and Mendro
received it the week before Christmas.
“She can work miracles,” Mendro said of Schuch.
The 2010 Honda Odyssey van with 75,000 miles on it
was donated by James and Jane Boulware of Apple
Valley with the assistance of Ken Titcomb,
quartermaster and finance officer for the
Lakeville Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 210
and owner of Christian Brothers Automotive. The
van is equipped with a lift and controls for the
accelerator and brakes on the steering wheel.
“It’s pretty phenomenal,” Mendro said.
He’ll begin using the van once he receives
training on working the accelerator and brake
controls on the steering wheel. DAV of Minnesota
paid over $1,700 for Mendro to receive the
training and the state licensing that’s needed to
use the special controls. The Lakeville VFW
provided over $1,000 for vehicle repairs. DAV also
provided Mendro with an electric scooter to help
him get around.
In addition to the van and scooter, Mendro said
the Pipestone community has been very supportive
of him and his family. Although he’s been unable
to work much due to his medical problems, Mendro
said his employers at the Pipestone Pizza Ranch,
Scott and Tom Ploeger, have held his job for him.
People have also provided monetary gifts, rides to
doctor’s appointments, food, a dorm refrigerator,
gift cards and more. Mendro said the support has
been overwhelming.
“I just wish I could thank the whole town,” he
said. “I want to thank everybody who’s helped.”
About the same time that Mendro received a van,
another Pipestone resident donated one through the
same program.
Marlys Hazelton donated a 1983 Dodge van with just
over 100,000 miles on it. The van has a raised
roof, lift and hand controls to accelerate and
brake that were used by her husband, Francis, who
is paralyzed from the waist down. She said she
wanted to get a new van that was smaller and
easier to park.
They considered selling the van, but found there
wasn’t much of a market for a van with a lift.
They then decided to donate it and contacted
Schuch, who directed her to Brown County VSO Greg
Peterson, who is also the coordinator for the
Donor Connection program. Peterson reached out to
other VSOs in the state and helped connect
Hazelton with veteran Mark Dresser of Mora, who
needed a van with a lift after he stopped working.
Hazelton said she met Dresser and his wife when
they picked up the van in Pipestone the week
before Christmas.
“It was a good experience,” she said. “I was
thrilled to meet them and felt they really
deserved it.”