Family of well-loved London, Ont. barber Eddie Lopez seeks accessible home

London family searches for accessible home Barber Eddie Lopez suffered a brain aneurysm, heart attack, and stroke. CTV’s Bryan Bicknell learned he is still recovering in hospital.

In the summer of 2022, London, Ont. barber and business owner Eddie Lopez suffered a brain aneurysm, heart attack, stroke, and seizure while watching his daughter Anastaysa play soccer at a tournament in Ottawa.

Life turned upside down for the family.

“It’s been a lot, for sure,” said Anistasya while talking with CTV News on Thursday.

“We’re all struggling, all of us, but you know we’re just stronger together,” added her mom, Lopez’s wife Jody Davis.

Shortly after that incident, an online crowd-funding campaign was set up to help the family with bills and other living expenses.

Now 38, Lopez continues to recover at Parkwood Hospital in London. “He is doing really, really good right now, actually,” said Davis. “He’s talking, eating regularly, moving his arms and legs and things like that, so he’s doing really, really well.”

Once again, the family is in need of aid. Once Lopez is well enough to be released from hospital and come home, he’ll need accessible housing.

Right now, they’re in a two storey townhouse. They’re looking for a new home to rent, but so far they have struck out.

“A place where it’s a one floor place is what we’ve been trying to find,” said Davis. “Preferably with a stand-up shower so that I can roll him in there. It’s hard because places are also very expensive. And technically, although he has a business, he’s not working, so he doesn’t really make money from that. Prices right now are just crazy.”

Karla McLean, the chair of The Angel Project, a charity that supports people living with disabilities, told CTV News that they’re getting a significant number of requests for people who need help with home modifications, such as chair lifts. When it comes to finding accessible housing in Ontario, she said the struggle is real.

“It’s almost impossible. We’re finding it very, very difficult for people now to secure any kind of rental with a disability that is accessible for them. Advocate, advocate for your loved one, for yourself, if you have a disability and you’re trying to secure accommodation.”

She advises people to work with their landlords to modify homes to meet accessibility needs and standards.

If you have an accessible home for rent, you can contact Jody Davis at 519-872-2288.

In the meantime, Anistasya said the family is staying strong and positive just like her dad, “From what I’ve seen in the hospital, he’s always pushing, he’s still the most positive guy I know. I really thought that maybe he’d be angry all the time, but he’s always smiling and laughing at all times.”