By Sarah Richardson
White Sulphur Springs has a new officer in town. A new ADA Compliance Officer, that is.
“I’m not here to write tickets and give people a hard time,” jokes George ‘Mack’ McIntire. “One of the reasons I’m really doing this is that the state of West Virginia is number one— we have the highest percentage per capita— of handicapped people.”
At the last White Sulphur Springs City Council meeting Mayor Bruce Bowling announced Mack’s new position. “We were trying to get a grant to get an ADA accessible door here [at City Hall], and we got turned down. They said what we needed was an ADA Compliance Officer. And Mack said ‘I’ll do it, but I’m not going to charge you.’”
He emphasized that Mack was perfect for the job. “He notices that stuff, we don’t notice it as much, and I thought it would be a great fit.”
“It’s great,” said Mack, “because the goal that White Sulphur is trying to accomplish right now is to be one of the most ADA compliant cities in America. Everything is going to be state-of-the-art accessible.”
Mack became disabled after a freak accident in 2018, when he fell and broke his neck. He was instantly paralyzed from the neck down, despite only falling two feet. He was rushed to the Charleston Area Medical Center (CAMC), where he credits their neurosurgeon with saving his life. He was then transferred to Richmond, VA where he spent four months in the Spinal Cord Unit.
“My life became prayer, physical therapy, and vitamins,” said Mack. “In March 2019, after a lot of research, I found out about a clinical trial at Ohio State University involving promising new drugs that may heal the body’s central nervous system. I fought my way into the trials, and at age 65, I think I’m the oldest participant. I’m probably the only West Virginian, but I doubt I’m the only veteran. … There are 24 people in the Phase 1 part of the trial. Then they start the part where they give some people the placebo and others get the drug, but I definitely got the drug. As soon as they get done with the initial trial I’ll be able to go back and get more of the drug, because I was a volunteer.”
Techniques for treatment of spinal cord injuries have greatly improved in recent years, but they are usually permanent with little or no hope of improvement. However, Mack doesn’t let that slow him down. After participating in the trial, his dexterity in his hands has vastly improved. “I intend to be one of the first people to heal and walk again,” he said.
“I stay busy by going to the park, practicing walking, riding around town, and taking the bus to Lewisburg,” he added. And as an ADA officer, he will be on site for construction projects to ensure everything is accessible.
“When they complete projects I’ll ride around and make sure everything is up to snuff,” he said. His knowledge of required doorway measurements, ramps, and other facilities such as restrooms will help make sure public structures are accessible for all.
“When I see someone in a wheelchair when I’m out and about, I always go over and talk to them,” he said. “A lot of them are just older or have arthritis or something like that, but they amount of people that I’ve met is sizeable. There are some really awesome people that are hanging in there.”
“I really want the community to know and be aware that West Virginia has more people like me than any other state per capita. And I want to thank everybody. When I was in the hospital in Richmond they would load about 20 of us up in a bus and take us to a mall and unload us in our chairs, give us a few bucks, and say they would come back in a few hours. The idea was just to get us to go in and out of doors, bathrooms, sit in lines, checkout, just to see how people treat you. Over there, it was 50/50. Some people just acted like you weren’t there, some were nice and occasionally would open up a door. But, in West Virginia, the people have been wonderful. Sometimes, they are almost too kind, and I have to tell them ‘thanks, but I can get that myself.’ I generally don’t, I let them help, and people have just been very, very sweet.”
He credits his wife, Alicia, for helping with his recovery and healing process. “She has been my wife, my caregiver, and my friend, and I wouldn’t be anywhere alive if it wasn’t for her.”
His plans to regain the ability to walk are currently on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but he will continue the clinical trial once regulations permit. Until then, he will continue helping White Sulphur through his new position.
