OLD ORCHARD BEACH — Through the support of the community, with the help of social media, a local man can do something most people take for granted: go in and out of his home.

Roger Pinette and his girlfriend, Lynn Conroy, live in an apartment that met their needs except for one problem: there was no handicapped access.

Pinette, 59, has the neurodegenerative disease ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. The disease has recently progressed to the point that he can no longer get around without an electric wheelchair.

Conroy’s sister, June Boulette, was worried about Pinette and Conroy, and what they would do if there was a fire or other emergency.

Boulette was at one of her usual local stops, MacDonald’s Garage, when she brought up her concerns with State Rep. Sharri MacDonald. MacDonald put a call out to the community on Facebook, and in a few days, a wheelchair ramp was funded and built for Pinette.

“It’s been a god-send,” said Boulette. She said one day, she was driving through town and she saw Pinette riding in his wheelchair on the sidewalk.

“I thought it was the most beautiful thing,” she said.

Boulette, owner of Bayside Rentals, has been a long-time Old Orchard Beach resident. Conroy and Pinette have lived in town for about four and a half years, and Conroy said they are homebodies, and many of the people who reached out to help don’t even know Pinette.

“The support, everything, is so unbelievable,” said Conroy. “I’m amazed. I’m shocked.”

“It’s a great community,” said Pinette. “Good people.”

There have been fundraisers, including an arm band sale and a golf tournament, to help raise money for a van for Pinette.

Conroy said she thanks everyone who has helped Pinette, and the list is too long to name all the individual people.

Pinette and Conroy had just come home Friday afternoon from a trip to pick up some groceries, do some Easter shopping and for Pinette, get a haircut. With the help of the ramp, he was able to go in and out of his home easily to do those errands.

Once home, Conroy helped Pinette into his recliner. The trip, said Conroy, may not seem much for the average person, but for Pinette, he’ll be worn out, she said.

Pinette’s speech is slurred and often hard to understand to most people except Conroy and Boulette, who serve as interpreters.

“It’s a hard nut to crack,” said Conroy, about ALS. She said it’s extremely frustrating and hard, because his doctors don’t know how the disease will effect Pinette and how quickly it will progress, since every case is different.

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 325 or [email protected].