How an Aritco Lift Helped Elevate Sandra’s Life

With her adorable pug Buster on her heels, Sandra Bhatti sits down in front of her mobile camera to share her story. From her delightful energy and contagious smile, you would never assume that her tale begins with such tragedy. But after the rain came a sunshine of which a lift from Aritco was honored to be a part of.

On a November day in 2018, Sandra got the call that set off a series of unfortunate events. While she was at work, an electric malfunction in her Christmas decoration had caused a fire that could not be put out quickly enough and her whole house had burned to the ground.

“Luckily no one was at home and Buster was with my dad” says Sandra, “but after that came a year of bureaucratic issues.”

Her insurance would cover reconstruction, but due to changes in regulations the new house had to be much smaller than the previous one. After a lot of stressful back and forth, the solution was to be a two-floor house that would be made accessible as Sandra has had one leg amputated above the knee since a childhood battle with cancer.

However, a residential elevator – an absolute necessity if the house is to have two floors – was not included in disability adaption.

“Honestly, this entire situation was dreadful” Sandra says while holding back tears. “A ton of expenses and the feeling of being stuck. I felt horrible!”

An acquaintance working for a Swedish news paper reached out to Sandra and wrote an article about what had transpired. It was read by people all over Sweden, including some that knew a thing or two about elevators.

“I got a phone call from Aritco saying that they had decided to help me. I was so emotional and happy that I could barely believe it after all the negative things that had happened!”

Finding out that she would be getting an Aritco HomeLift Access installed in her new home marked the start of brighter days for Sandra. Shortly thereafter, longstanding insurance matters regarding financing were resolved as well, and reconstruction of both her life and new home could finally begin.

Not only would Sandra have had an awfully hard time getting up and down the spiraling staircase with her crutches, but it also turned out that Buster had his reservations as well.

“He doesn’t use the stairs at home” Sandra bursts out laughing. “Other stairs are fine, but he seems to be afraid of the gaps between the steps in these, so he has never used them. I have tried placing candy on the steps to lure him up and everything, but he refuses!”

Instead, Buster parks himself in front of the lift doors and calls for help when he wants to go up or down.

“He likes the elevator” Sandra says with a smiling look at her beloved pug, wrapping up our tour with a praise: “It is a really great elevator, I recommend it to everyone!”

Is a residential elevator something that could uplift your home and provide more everyday comfort? Explore your options in our LiftGuide or get in touch with us for further assistance.