NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — At NewsChannel5, we often talk about how great our viewers are and how amazing our community really is!
The generosity was on full display when a local plumbing company stepped up to help Phyllis Harris with home repairs after watching her story.
Last week, Harris sat down with Photojournalist Angie Dones and I to share her story. Harris, the townhome owner, found herself overwhelmed by emotions as unexpected repairs to her home piled up.
After purchasing her home with an FHA loan, she had hoped for stability. However, after just 10 months of living there, Harris discovered a series of issues, from leaks and clogged pipes to cabinets and doors shifting.
The cost of repairs was estimated to be in the thousands, a burden Harris couldn't bear. She shared her story in hopes that someone would help.
“I honestly didn’t have it,” Harris admitted.
Her plea reached Brandon Bradley of Bradley Maintenance and Air LLC. Moved by her situation, Bradley and his team, Arthur Strahan and Chris Hay, stepped in to assist with the repairs.
“I don’t like people getting taken advantage of,” said Bradley. “When God takes care of you and you have the ability to take care of someone else, it’s our duty, our job to take care of our neighbors.”
Upon inspection, the team discovered major problems, including a grease-clogged kitchen drain that rendered her sink unusable and a water heater that had been leaking for some time.
“From here to almost where it meets down there, that’s all-new piping. I would say a good five, six feet of it was full of grease, packed,” said Strahan.
“We found the water heater was leaking and had been for a long time. The air conditioning drain wasn’t even hooked up,” Bradley added.
The team also replaced Harris’s downstairs toilet. Altogether, the repairs were valued at $3,200, but Bradley would only accept one form of payment—a simple smile.
“It makes you feel very good to help people when they’re struggling in times of need,” said Hay.
For Harris, the kindness was deeply meaningful.
“Being a widow, that means everything to me—that there are really men standing for the right thing. I appreciate that.”
Harris had hoped sharing her story would show someone cared. Now, she knows there's love all around her.
An attorney has also reached out to Harris following the initial report and will work with her to determine if any legal action is appropriate.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at aaron.cantrell@newschannel5.com
For people of my generation, in our younger days we spent part of our weekends watching music shows like American Bandstand and Soul Train. That was before the age of music videos. Several years before Soul Train was syndicated out of Chicago, another syndicated R&B show was taped in Nashville at NewsChannel 5. Night Train aired in the 60s and included what may have been the first TV appearance for legendary guitarist Jimi Hendrix. Forrest Sanders has another great look back at station history.
-Lelan Statom
