Oxygen boosted energy costs

Byron and Karren Crowell have always thought of themselves as “givers.” So asking for help with a utility bill when both became ill was not easy for the elderly Bellevue couple.

“We've always been independent,” Byron Crowell said. “It was hard to accept a handout at first, but when someone needs help they need help. So you swallow your pride.”

Byron Crowell, 86, and his wife of 48 years realized they needed help with their Omaha Public Power District bill this past summer when both became dependent on home oxygen systems.

Karren, 65, had developed congestive heart failure. The “failing” heart keeps working but not as efficiently as it should. She was hospitalized for eight months. Byron, who had spent 50 years as an over-the-road trucker, visited Karren as often as he could while working in Omaha as an apartment complex manager.

Just as Karren was showing improvement in June, Byron suffered a series of mini-strokes and had to quit work.

Not long after the Crowells both returned home, Byron discovered that their electricity bill had soared to over $500. He figures that their dual oxygen systems are mostly to blame.

“I scraped together $100, and (Goodfellows) came up with $402 to get our bill paid off,” Byron said. Then the couple got on a level payment plan to avoid the spikes to their budget.

The World-Herald's Goodfellows program helps thousands of people each year with emergency aid and, at Christmastime, some get help with a holiday meal. The annual fundraising drive for the charity is under way now. All dollars raised go to needy families; The World-Herald pays all administrative costs.

Karren said accepting the money was not easy because “we had always been on the giving end.” Today, though, expenses mean a very tight budget for the couple.

“But as long as we have each other, then that's the important thing,” Karren said while sitting on a couch, holding Byron's hand.

Contact the writer:

444-1272, kevin.cole@owh.com