Thankful For Friends--Mr. and Mrs. Robert Arter, Plunkert Road, Littlestown, are thankful for their friends and warm-hearted strangers who have made the road to recovery a little easier for the couple. Arter was burned on the face, arms, back and feet during a grease fire June 17 at their home and the help and concern of neighbors and strangers has been �overwhelming� Arter Family: Friends Help In Recovery Littlestown--The long road to recovery has been a little easier to travel for Mr. and Mrs. Robert Arter, Plunkert Rd., thanks to their friends and a few warm-hearted strangers. They received encouragement from friends, relatives and co-workers after Mr. Arter suffered severe burns on his face, arms, back and feet during a grease fire June 17. They also received time and help in the clean-up and reconstruction job on the house, especially the kitchen, which sustained $5,000 damage in the fire. �I didn�t� even know some of the people who came out here to help me get the house ready for him to come home to,� she said. In addition to trying to repair and clean the house, Mrs. Arter took several trips to Washington, D.C., where her husband was a patient at Walter Reed Army Hospital for 22 days. Most of that time was spent in the intensive care burn center. �They left him come home when they did because they know I was a nurse,� she explained. �We had to hurry to get the house finished, because I was afraid he might be exposed to infection, if the house wasn�t good and clean.� Mrs. Arter, who works at Golden Age Nursing Home, says she owes a great debt to the staff and admin8istration of the home, who helped care for her and provided much of the clean-up manpower at the house. �There were days I was here from 6 a.m., and those people were here with me until midnight,� she said. Another debt she says can�t be measured in dollars is owed to their carpenter and his wife, who, she says, worked endless hours to prepare the house for Mr. Arter�s return home. Mr. Arter, who retired from the armed forces in 1968, has not yet totally recovered from the experience, and he must return periodically to the hospital for checkups and care. Although the progress has been slow, it has been successful. Mrs. Arter says the burns have healed rather well, in spite of several small spots of infection which did develop. Still, the healing process is far from complete. Mr. Arter�s feet, which suffered third degree burns, are still very sensitive and need close watching and care. His feet received such severe burns because the grease which caught fire spilled on the floor of the kitchen as he attempted to carry it outside. He then spent 15 minutes on his feet attempting to extinguish the blaze with the assistance of James Reaver, Littlestown volunteer fire company, who was the first on the scene at the time of the accident. Despite the wave of concern and help from friends and family, it has been a difficult experience to live through, and Mr. and Mrs. Arter both agree its one they would choose not to repeat. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Greetings - Send FREE e-cards for every occasion! http://greetings.yahoo.com