A British plumber’s act of kindness is being recognized all over the world after he fixed a terminally ill 91-year-old woman’s broken boiler and didn’t charge her a thing. After James Anderson finished this particular job, the woman’s daughter shared the receipt with his heart-melting message: “no charge for this lady under any circumstances.”
Christine Rowlands posted a photo on Facebook of Anderson’s invoice, which went viral. Rowlands wrote in the post that her mother’s boiler was leaking and needed a plumber to repair it. After being contacted by her sister, Anderson dropped by, fixed the issue, and said he would email the invoice.
But instead of sending a bill to be paid, he wrote on the receipt, “There is no charge for this lady under any circumstances. We will be available 24 hours a day to help her and keep her as comfortable as possible.” He noted that the elderly woman has acute leukemia and is receiving end-of-life care.
Rowlands referred to Anderson as “an angel dressed as a plumber.”
Anderson, who works on a volunteer basis and takes no wages for himself, owns a non-profit plumbing company that he started two years ago called DEPHER, which stands for Disabled & Elderly Plumbing and Heating Emergency Repair. He wants to help alleviate the costs of plumbing for the elderly and others in need.
He explained to the BBC that he does it because “many elderly and disabled people are suffering in silence.”
“They don’t like asking for help. They don’t want to be a burden. We take away the burden, the stigma,” he said.
The BBC reports the company supports its efforts through crowdfunding and doing regular paid plumbing jobs. DEPHER is based in the town of Burnley, in northern England, but Anderson said his goal is to expand it nationwide.
Anderson said his company’s work helps keep clients from getting into debt over necessary repairs and that he hopes to keep at it until “the day God calls me.”
