09/29/2026
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After 10 long months, Marissa Obits and her 12-year-old son, Malcolm, can finally say goodbye to the portable toilet outside their Jackson home!
Shortly after purchasing their home last October, a major sewage backup revealed a damaged sewer line beneath Page Avenue. What followed was nearly a year without functional plumbing, forcing Marissa and Malcolm to rely on a portable toilet through the freezing Michigan winter and the heat of summer.
After hearing their story, the HBA of Jackson, Hillsdale & Lenawee Board of Directors voted to take on the project through our Builders Care initiative.
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Thanks to an incredible community effort, the sewer line has been repaired, and Marissa and Malcolm can finally enjoy the home they purchased nearly a year ago.
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βI swear I honestly thought that I would never see this day come!
Thank you to everyone who has supported me throughout the last 10 months. It has definitely been a very long and taxing 10 months for both me and Malcolm and even some of my family.
I want to thank Patrick O'Dowd & Casey Leigh from the very bottom of my heart for doing everything that you did and advocating for me in every possible situation. I had seriously given up and did not know where to turn.
Thank you to Home Builders Association of Jackson, Hillsdale & Lenawee for hearing my story and stepping up.
When I bought this house I instantly fell in love and had no idea that I would go through the situation that I went through since the first month of owning. It literally has been a nightmare. We were unable to shower for very long, wash our dishes like normal people, wash our clothes in our own washer, etc. We fought through the winter in the porta potty and we fought through the entire hot summer in the porta potty.
I have not been able to have my housewarming party or start my game nights again or have my Christmas baking party with my girls. I wasn't really even able to have people here when Joe was sick in the hospital because I didn't have any facilities for them to use. Besides the porta potty, which I thought was disgusting. I've been embarrassed this entire time but guess what?
As of today, because of Bailey's Excavating, the City of Jackson, Casey Barratt, Patrick O'Dowd, some close family members & all of my GoFundMe supporters, the day came!!! Game nights will resume soon, Halloween decorations will go up, our Christmas tree will go up & I'm going to throw the last 10 months into the back of my mind, except the good memories of Joe & start over!
Today, this became my home!β
β Marissa Obits, Jackson, Michigan
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A HUGE thank you to Jacob Bailey and the entire Bailey Excavating Inc. team, Michigan Pipe & Valve, M&K Jetting, Mid Michigan Concrete Cutting, and the City of Jackson for coming together to make this project possible!
Special thanks to HBA Board Member Casey Barratt for her dedication to helping Marissa and Malcolm throughout this process.
This is what Builders Care is all about. Bringing people together, using our skills and resources, and making a real difference in the lives of our neighbors.
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