AURORA, Colo. — After spending New Year's Eve in a frigid apartment, a 91-year-old Aurora woman was at her wits' end.
Reatha Brown called Contact7 and said she has been living without heat all winter in the Steppington Place condominiums in Aurora. She had to place a blanket in front of her bedroom window to block the icy cold from coming into her home and spent New Year's Eve by her space heater.
"It was cold in here," she said on New Year's Day. "But I closed that door and I had the heater on and I just sat in here yesterday."
Brown is a cancer survivor, and said she has never been late with her rent. For the last few weeks, she has been on a constant quest to stay warm. She even keeps a wool hat by her bed.
"When I get up in the morning, I put it on to keep my ears warm," she said.
Reatha called Contact7 after seeing the phone number on the news. She wrote the number down in a book.
Denver7 called the apartment manager's Bob Manning. He visited the condo and checked out the heating pipes. He also moved furniture to allow more heat to enter the room.
"The thermostat is now reading 75," he said after making the adjustments.
Manning agreed to have a boiler company examine the pipes on Wednesday. He said he will also add storm insulation to her bedroom window box that morning.
Denver7 also contacted Aurora police, who said they will have an officer stop by Brown's home Wednesday to supervise the work and talk with her about financial assistance.
That's music to Brown's ears.
"I watch Channel 7 all the time," she said. "I appreciate it. Thank you and God bless all of you and have a happy New Year."
