A boost for the family

In the hour Michael Hutchins lay in the snow waiting for his brother-in-law to return, he hoped anxiously for feeling to return to his legs.

The avid snowmachiner hadn't considered his low-speed jump over the 6-foot berm risky or dangerous. He'd raced in events like the Big Lake 500 and the Valdez Mayor's Cup. He'd jumped over bigger berms at faster speeds. This time, he was just out for a short, safe ride, and had been traveling slower than 5 mph. How could this have happened?

It was too late for second thoughts. In one ill-considered move, Hutchins -- a 30-year-old construction worker and single father of two -- had smashed a vertebra and lost most of the use of his legs.

In the three years since, Hutchins has made many adjustments. His truck is fitted with hand controls. He's hired a nanny to help at home. He took a desk job at work. But he still has an hour's commute every day to Anchorage that he'd like to eliminate. Children Jacob, 4, and Zachary, 6, deserve more of his time, says Hutchins, who has full custody of both.

"I'd like to be 15 minutes away," he says. "They're at those ages now where they're really desiring me to be there."

The easy answer is to move to Anchorage, to be closer to his workplace. But when Hutchins looked for a wheelchair-accessible home that would meet his family's needs, he found nothing.

So he started drawing plans.

Friends from the contracting business surprised Hutchins by offering assistance for everything from framing the house out to installing appliances. Many offered to do the work for free or commit their work crews at cost.

"I know that if I was in the same position he would do that for me," said friend Ryan Belden, a general contractor with Neo Constructors who has committed a 10- to 14-man crew to the effort. "Friends look out for friends."

Always thinking ahead, Hutchins has planned a single-level, four-bedroom house -- something that can grow with the family should he remarry, which he hopes someday to do. He'd like to include appliances he can operate himself so that he doesn't need to rely on others.

With the help of friends, Hutchins can just manage to pay for the new house, which he estimates will run $189,000, including the lot -- but the figures are close. If he runs out of money, he says, he will need to start trimming the plan, omitting "luxury" items like carpeting until he can afford them later.

Friends say Hutchins deserves a boost, because he's already done so much to help himself and his children.

"He's probably the best guy that you'll ever meet," Belden said. "It was impressive. ... I probably don't have what it takes to be quite the man he is."

Michael Hutchins

H-1 Accessible dryer, $527

H-2 Built-in dishwasher, $612

H-3 Washing machine, $997