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Kidney transplant recipient creates a desert oasis

Connie Coons back yard.jpg
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TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN9) — Connie Coons is all smiles now, but that is not how the pandemic started.

“I'm one of those people that really needs to kind of shelter in place,” she said.

As a kidney transplant recipient, she was in lockdown. She says the home they had just moved into had an overgrown and uninviting back yard.

“As my husband was cutting them down, he found a child's lifejacket in it," Connie said. "So that could tell you how overgrown everything was.”

Connie says it would have been easy to fall into a rut during the pandemic, but little projects like moving rocks or putting in plants gave her a boost.

“I can be proud then at the end of a few days, look what I've done in this space and that gives you the excitement to continue on with what you are doing,” she said.

For bigger jobs like pouring concrete, they called in the help of A Plus Handyman Services.

“Some masonry work, some retaining walls, to get some different elevations, and make it look more pleasantly appealing,” said A Plus Handyman Services Owner Philip Foster.

Now Connie has a calm place to relax from current events.

“It's my little oasis,” she said.

And she cannot wait to share the space with friends when the time comes.

“I wanted a home where people could just stop by and visit me whenever they wanted," Connie said. "I want to come back here maybe do mint juleps.”

If you have had any victories during the pandemic you would like to share, send us an email so we can reach out: rebound@kgun9.com.