GREENSBORO, N.C. — When the EF-2 tornado tore through her Greensboro neighborhood on April 14, 2018, 90-year-old Marie Sims knew she couldn't stay at her English Street home any longer. But, she always hoped she could one day get back.
"This is my castle and I love it," she said, "And folks around here - nobody bothers nobody."
After several hurdles and bumps along the way, Sims finally got her wish.
On Christmas Eve, her son, Edward "Turk" Sims gifted his mother with a fully refurbished home.
Sims says it's been a rocky road, juggling a lousy contractor and black mold. But, he says it didn't take long for the good to overshadow all that, as people from all over pitched in to help.
From the city stepping in, lining up workers to redo the entire inside, to friends and neighbors helping with everything in between - he says he can't put his full gratitude into words. Sims says his family is especially grateful to Councilwoman Sharon Hightower, for putting him in contact with the right people to get the repairs off the ground.
"I don’t have the words in my vocabulary to say thank you enough," he said, "To honestly say that I gave my mother her Christmas wish before she closes her eyes for the last time, that’s powerful."
Marie has new walls, floors, and appliances, and a new hope for the future now that she's finally back home.
"It was time to come home. And I needed to come," she said.