By tara petersen
Staff Writer
TARA PETERSEN Dayton resident Joe Steel hugs son, Nick, 2, while Alex, 4, plays in a sand box in the back yard of her home. Steel and her husband Richard were finally able to get away with the help of several friends.
SOUTH BRUNSWICK — A little help from friends went a long way for the Steel family.
When Joe Steel, Dayton, told friends she’d have to cancel her planned vacation, they didn’t say, "Sorry to hear that," but offered assistance and refused to take no for an answer.
Last year, Steel started a new local club called the MOMS Club of North/South Brunswick Immunization Required. The club is part of a national organization that boasts 1,500 chapters and 75,000 members throughout the country, according to the MOMS organization’s Internet site.
Steel, who serves as the president, started the club when it became obvious that several members of the original MOMS Club wanted assurance that others were immunizing their children. The club now has 39 members and the old club has since folded.
Fellow member Debbie Thomson said of Steel, "She’s a very on-the-go person. She takes things on 200 percent."
Tara Guido, also a member of the club, said, "She’s the first one to pitch in, the first one to be supportive and the first one to help out."
This last year has not been easy for Steel and her husband, Richard. The family has dealt with incidents of death, destruction and disappointment.
It came as no surprise to the couple that their first attempt at a vacation since they became parents almost five years ago would also fail.
In August of last year, the Steel’s chimney was struck by lightning, causing the glass fireplace cover to explode.
"There were bits of glass embedded in the walls and in the carpet fibers," Steel said. "The coffee table was blown upside down onto the couch from the force of the blast. Inside, the house was basically gutted. [My mother and I] had just been sitting there moments before it happened."
Neighbors helped the family clean up and offered them a place to stay. Despite the local good will, more misfortune followed.
Six weeks later Steel had to undergo minor surgery. Two months after that, her husband lost his grandfather unexpectedly and had to travel to England for the services.
"Richard didn’t come home until Christmas Eve. We didn’t do a tree or decorations. No one felt like celebrating," Steel said.
This year, a close friend who was supposed to baby-sit for the couple while they went on vacation had major surgery.
The couple, who love to travel, had not been on a vacation since their children were born.
"We have been to England to see family, but that’s it," Steel said.
She said she and her husband had an anniversary coming up and really needed some time away together.
"You send your car in for service every 3,000 miles. We figured we were due for some maintenance," Joe said.
They had accumulated a great many airline miles because of all the money they spent on home repairs following the lightening strike. They planned to use the miles toward a vacation that included a five-day cruise from Miami.
The couple planned for Fiona Turner, Steel’s best friend, to watch their children, Alex and Nick, during part of a three-week visit. The Steels paid for Turner and her two daughters to travel from England.
According to Steel, six days before they were set to leave, Turner was hospitalized and needed emergency gall bladder surgery.
Turner said that during her recovery, "Joe wouldn’t let me do anything." She said Steel made her rest and looked after all four kids herself.
Turner recovered quickly and insisted the couple keep to their plans, but doctors had told her to avoid lifting anything.
"How can anyone care for four children under 6 without lifting anything?" Steel said.
Deanna Hess, a MOMS Club member, heard about Steel’s plans to cancel the vacation and sent an e-mail to other members asking for people to help out.
"I know how important it is for a couple to be away from their children," Hess said.
Steel refused the help at first.
"I knew I basically needed someone to be me, to be here 24 hours a day. It is too much to ask," Steel said.
Her friends persisted and eventually helped her schedule 12 friends and neighbors to cover various shifts totaling over 120 hours.
"I kept thinking, ‘It’s only a vacation,’ but our hopes had been raised and dashed so many times," Steel said.
A few people were scheduled for the night shift from 8 p.m. until 8 a.m., while others would work three to six hour shifts during the day. The volunteers would help with all the manual tasks such as bathing the children and carrying laundry, while Turner would lead the way as the primary child caregiver.
"I was blown away. Every time the phone rang, it was someone else that had heard about it, and wanted to help," Steel said. "We had a long list of people who said they could fill in if someone had to cancel. The club even provided lunch and dinner each day so that no one would have to cook."
Thomson said she helped out because "she (Steel) would do it for me. That’s the type of person she is."
After the Steels returned from their trip, Joe said she was really looking forward to life at home again.
"I recharged my batteries. I was ready to roll up my sleeves and come back full force. I’m completely renewed," she said.
"We never expected to receive such an outpouring of genuine friendship and compassion," Richard Steel said. "In fact, it made the vacation even more special, knowing that so many people had given up their time to assist us."