Wichitan Cheri Kirkpatrick was at the end of her rope late last summer – her 17-year-old son had been re-diagnosed with cancer, she was taking him to Kansas City for his chemotherapy every third week, and her air conditioner and furnace were shot.
Enter Duane and Matthew Mitchel, father and son owners of D&M Mechanical, 2300 Nelson Drive in Derby. After delivering the bad news about Kirkpatrick’s heating and air, they turned around and installed brand new donated systems.
Kirkpatrick called D&M Mechanics last summer when her air conditioner stopped working.
“I called and Duane came out the very next day,” Kirkpatrick said.
Duane Mitchel got it working, but told Kirkpatrick the ductwork was not installed correctly.
Although the system had been installed only 11 years earlier, Matthew explained that the installer didn’t use “best practices.”
In September, around the time her son Beau was beginning chemotherapy, the air conditioner stopped working again and Kirkpatrick again called D&M at the recommendation of her plumber.
“I asked Matt and Duane if they could see if it could be resurrected through the end of the season,” Kirkpatrick said. “They said the compressor was gone, totally shot, and the system wasn’t even the right one for our house.
“I said we could manage through the end of the year and think about a new system next year,” Kirkpatrick recalled. “We were right in the middle of Beau’s chemotherapy and we had a few days that it got pretty warm in the house, but we managed.”
Shortly thereafter it turned cold and she turned on the furnace, only to find that it was not working either.
“I just sat down and cried – it was stress overload,” Kirkpatrick said. She called D&M Mechanical once again.
When Duane Mitchel checked the furnace he discovered the circuit board had gone out.
“We priced the circuit board for that particular system and it was pretty pricey,” Matthew recalled. He knew the family was spending a lot of time traveling to Kansas City for Beau’s chemotherapy and their insurance didn’t necessarily cover the expenses.
“My dad called me and said, ‘Is she [Kirkpatrick] going to be able to pay for it’” Matthew said. “I said I didn’t know, but that we’ve got to do something for her.”
“Matt said he wanted to think about the situation and see what he could do,” Kirkpatrick said. “I was thinking loans, and how am I going to pay them, and my husband said, ‘Let’s just see what happens.’ We did a lot of praying,” she said.
Meanwhile, Duane and Matthew discussed the situation and contacted Tina Smith, territory manager for Lennox Industries, one of their equipment manufacturers.
“I told her this family had a lot going on, that money might be an issue, and if Lennox was willing to donate the equipment we’d be willing to donate our time so they don’t have to worry about something like how to keep the lights on,” Matthew said. “Tina was all for it, and emailed us back an hour later and asked us what we needed.”
Matthew called Kirkpatrick while she was in Kansas City to deliver the news that Lennox would give her a new furnace, Wichita Sheet Metal would donate the materials for the duct work, and furthermore, when spring came, Lennox would help her out with her air conditioner.
“I didn’t know whether to sit there and cry, or run around like the kid in ‘Home Alone,’ screaming and saying ‘yippee, yippee, yippee,’” Kirkpatrick said. “I was speechless. I had never had such a blessing.”
Ryan Robertson, Wichita Sheet Metal sales department, said, “Matt gave us a call and we were more than happy to make the donation. We try to give back to the community whenever we have the opportunity.”
Kirkpatrick said after the new furnace was installed her heating bill went down by almost two-thirds through the winter.
“When springtime of this year came around I called D&M, and they contacted Lennox about the air conditioner,” she said. “The next thing I know they are putting in a whole new unit, and brought everything up to code. It’s just been amazing to have cool air.”
Matthew said when he contacted Lennox about the air conditioning unit, Smith said it was on order and waiting for them.
“But the best part is, when everything was done, Cheri told us her son is in remission and was able to graduate with his high school class on time.”
Beau Kirkpatrick graduated with a 3.8 GPA from East High School after spending the year doing his work through the school district’s Homebound program. His mother said he plans to be a pediatric oncologist, and his short-term plans include learning how to drive, getting a car and “getting his health back.”
“It made me feel whole-hearted,” Matthew said of the company’s extraordinary good deed. They have received several recommendations from Bryan Kirkpatrick, Cheri’s husband, and their business is growing.
“We’ve probably done triple what we had done last year when we were getting our feet wet,” Matthew said. He credits his father’s reputation – Duane had a company in Derby for many years – and their business practices.
“A lot of our growth has to do with people recognizing Duane, that he was back in business, and we try to focus on being a service-based business,” Matthew said. “We want to be able to be there for customers, turn a profit, be in business, but always be available to our customers.”
