LINCOLN COUNTY, N.C. — "I’m scared," Shaun Cooke said. "I have a fear that he might come and finish the job and fear that I might lose my house."
Cooke is 61 and said he would have never imagined being physically broken and sitting in silence, left with nothing but echoes of worries clouding his head.
The panic began after Cooke was attacked last week, with injuries causing him to be confined to this wheelchair. He said being in that seat makes his everyday life a challenge.
"I'm scared I might fall down trying to go to the bathroom," Cooke said.
A single man with family miles and miles away, Cooke said he was preparing to start the journey of healing alone.
It would just be him and his furry friend Cookie, at least that’s what he thought.
"Open up the door it's me, Lisa," Lisa Glover, Cooke's neighbor, said.
Lisa is one of many good neighbors who understands the power of a smile.
"Our neighbors are just great they handed me walkers, wheelchairs, and pretty much anything to help Shaun," Lisa told WCNC Charlotte.
Lisa said their neighbors are coming together to help where they can, bringing warm meals for dinner and even building a new ramp in front of Cooke's yard.
Lisa said they couldn’t be happier to help because while a community made them neighbors, their connection made them more.
"Shaun has a fabulous heart he will give you the shirt off his back, he is not a friend. he is our family," Lisa said.
For Cooke, it means everything. He says wealth is where your friends are.
"I have heroes for neighbors, I'm rich with really really good friends," he said.
As neighbors continue to help meet Cooke's needs, they're asking the community for support.
They say Cooke is now in need of a walk-in shower that is ADA-compliant so he gets in without any help.
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