EASTPOINTE, Mich. – An Eastpointe man with multiple sclerosis (MS) had to leave his family home because the machine that kept him alive wasn’t getting enough power.
The family said the issue began in May. The house didn’t have enough power to run his oxygen machine and the family was forced to move him into a nursing home.
“I have to give him kudos. He’s been a trooper about it overall but in the same respect, he cries every day. He wants to come home,” his mother Teresa Todd said. “And we want him home too.”
The family had an electrician come to the house and they determined the issue wasn’t with the wiring in the house. They weren’t getting enough voltage from the pole to the house -- and it was impacting other homes in the area too.
DTE Energy said the investigation began in May. On Wednesday, July 19, DTE Energy was in the neighborhood and they were able to restore the home to full voltage.
“We were made aware of a low voltage issue with a DTE customer in Eastpointe. Our field crews and engineers have been investigating the issue and, most recently, walked the circuit to determine any additional, underlying issues. We were able to make a repair the same day that our team walked the circuit and, consequently, restored the customer to full voltage,” DTE Energy said in a statement.
The family said they will be taking some time before returning him home, just to make sure no other issues arise.
DTE Energy said extra work will be completed to ensure the voltage issue does not happen again.