ROCK HILL -- It sometimes takes misfortune to reveal the unseen beauty in life.

Phyllis Paden-Adams can attest to that.

A year ago this fall, the former Rock Hill first grade teacher was left paralyzed from the neck down following a freak auto accident. She was on her way to school when the wreck occurred.

On Tuesday, dozens of her friends, neighbors and former students gathered at her rural York County home to send a loud and clear message to the executives at the ABC television network – they want Paden-Adams chosen for an “Extreme Home Makeover.”

The group taped a video that will be sent to network officials. It showed dozens of Paden-Adams’ former students carrying signs and balloons and voicing their unqualified support.

Paden-Adams, meanwhile, sat in her wheelchair, taking in the sights and sounds, a broad smile creasing her lips. Occasionally, a well-wisher would wander by to offer her flower, a word of thanks, or maybe a kiss.
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Holly Belue, a neighbor who nominated Paden-Adams for a home makeover and the driving force behond Tuesday’s event, said the former teacher has a good chance of being selected. The network called Belue recently to say they were impressed with her story. They asked for a video to help them decide.

The Accident

Paden-Adams had taught in public schools for 32 years when her car skidded on loose gravel one morning last October. Her Husband, Alonzo Adams, said the car jumped a ditch then struck a tree. His wife was thrown against the passenger-side door, which broke her neck.

But those she touched – both in the classroom as well as in other aspects of her life -- haven’t forgotten the good she did.

Josh Burch, who lives nearby, said other teachers had given up on him by the time Paden-Adams began tutoring him inside her home. Burch said he suffers from a form of attention deficit disorder.

Today he is a senior at Winthrop University, majoring in History. He plans to be a teacher.

Burch said Paden-Adams worked with him tirelessly on reading and basic skills.

“She cares,” he said. “That’s the best thing about her. She has this generous heart that’s hard to explain.”
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The yard at the Adams house was full of such stories. People who know her best said Paden-Adams loves nothing more than children, and, by extension, teaching.

“She should have been a professional singer, but instead she decided to give her life to the children,” said Belue.

A small yellow building in Paden-Adams ‘ backyard stands witness to that love. Before her accident, she had planned to use the building as her own private schoolhouse.

A testimony

Ironically, Paden-Adams said that before her accident, she wasn’t so sure of her place in God’s divine plan. Days earlier, she said, she had spoken to her pastor, noting that many of her friends and co-workers had stories that gave personal testimony to the love and power of God.

Days later, as her car spun out of control, she said she thought to herself: “Now I have a testimony.”

The Adams house is a small ranch structure, several miles south of Rock Hill and well off Interstate 77. Friends and neighbors said it badly needs fixing up, especially now that Paden-Adams is confined to a wheelchair.

The bathrooms are too small, they say, and the water pressure is bad. It has no air conditioning and there is no room for Paden-Adams to teach – something she said she’d like to do.

That’s why Belue wrote to ABC, asking them to consider Paden-Adams for an Extreme Home Makeover. Others quickly joined the campaign.

An abundance of love

Paden-Adams’ husband said Tuesday’s outpouring was no surprise. Ever since the accident, he said, friend, neighbors and former students have showered the family with love – as well as with financial assistance. Sometimes, he said, a check simply arrives in the mail.
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Adams, a former truck driver, said he gave up a job paying $60,000 a year to care for his wife. Even at that salary, he said, he couldn’t afford to work and pay for outside care.

“We’re thankful for the support of community and friends,” he said.

As for Paden-Adams, she said being chosen for “Extreme Home Makeover” would allow her to teach again.

“I always felt that I was supposed to be a servant to children, a servant to those with special needs, a servant to people,” she said. “You know, you can’t give love away. It keeps coming back over and over and over.”
 

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