Jason Gasiorowski's first home is gutted right now, but by next month, he'll likely have the kind of home that will let him live independently.

He says it never would have turned out this way for him without the help of people and businesses in and around Neillsville.

"I have a deteriorating joint disease and it causes a lot of pain," Jason told us on Thursday. When he bought his 70-year-old house, he and his mother were just hoping to make the bathroom wheelchair accessible.

They never imagined people and businesses in the community would convert the whole house.

"To take a handicapped, disabled person and put them in their own home where they can live independently is probably the greatest gift you can give anyone," said Jason's mother, Cheri Taubenheim.

They started work about three months ago after hearing about what Jason wanted. By the middle of May, they should have counters that are about 30 inches high in the kitchen, and many other features to help Jason everyday.

"I won't have to move my arms at awkward angles," he said.

"To see everything they have to go through on a daily basis really inspired us to be involved with this," said Chauncey Marrier of The Hands Foundation, which is a non-profit group that assists with building projects for those in need.

Jason will end up paying for the cost of the materials in the end, but it's a small price for the work he says he'd never be able to afford on his own.

"I'm just very thankful for all of this," he said. "I just can't wait to move in."

The people and businesses involved in the effort say they're hoping to raise enough funding to be able to do this kind of work for a different disabled person in the area every year.

The group has a fund set up for Jason's house. Here's the address for donations:

Jason Gasiorowski Fund
M&I Bank
106 West Division Street
Neillsville, WI 54456

You can also find more information on The Hands Foundation at the link below.