As life imitates art, a Grandmother found herself re-living the main plot from the Disney film Up. The similarities weren’t lost on the homeowner, 86-year-old Edith Macefield, who tied a cluster of balloons to her home after developers built a mall around her home when she refused to sell.
Macefield has always been courageous. As a teenager she joined the British military and served bravely until officials determined she was under 18 and sent her home.
As an adult, Macefield purchased her home where she remained for 60 years until a stubborn developer offered to buy her out. When she refused, he went ahead with his project and built a shopping mall around her property.
The building project mangager, Barry Martin, wasn’t pleased with the developer’s decision. He started checking in on Macefield and the two eventually developed a lasting friendship. When Macefield was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, Martin became her primary caregiver after she refused to move to a nursing home. “She wanted to stay there and die in the house where her mother died. And I kind of realized that if I didn’t do it, she wasn’t going to be able to do that,” Martin said.
Macefield died in 2008 and left her home to Martin, and the original developer was ready to pounce. Refusing to give in to the greedy demands of his corporate employeer, Martin donated Macefield’s home to charity. Her home still stands as affordable housing for people in need.