Quadriplegic Man Fights To Save Rental Home from Foreclosure

PALOS PARK, IL -- A Palos Park man paralyzed from the neck down is fighting to save his rental home from foreclosure. A Cook County judge has graciously extended the deadline until Jan. 9, but if not enough money is raised to purchase the modest house, which has been retrofitted to accommodate his needs, he and his parents could find themselves homeless.

Nikolas “Niko” Bezanis was 20 years old and enjoying a sunny, summer afternoon on the Chain-of-Lakes with friends, when he dove off a boat and hit a hidden sandbar, breaking his neck. A friend on the boat had emergency medical training and flipped the injured Nikolas over in the water where he floated on his back until help arrived.

As a result of the accident, Niko, now 28, became a quadriplegic as well as suffered brain injuries. Paul Bezanis, who is a carpenter by trade, spent $140,000 of his own money to widen doorways and build a $12,000 ramp systems to make the home accessible to his wheelchair-ridden son.

Paul and Niko's mom, Roula, had entered a rent-to-own agreement with the owner of their Palos Park home. However, the owner of the home went through his own personal tragedy and didn’t keep up with the mortgage payments. The home went into arrears and wiped out $50,000 worth of equity that the Bezanis family built up in the home over the years.

The Original Island Shrimp House Restaurant in Palos Park has stepped up to help the overwhelmed family . Owner Tim Keefer and his wife, Patty, are close friends of the family.

“This is a good family in jeopardy of losing their home,” Keefer said. “More than likely they will be given an eviction notice on Jan. 9.”

An online CrowdRise campaign -- Save Niko’s Home -- has raised $103,563 but they still need $70,000 more. The Bezanis family hopes to have the full amount in hand before their Jan. 9 court date, to see if they can work out an agreement to buy the house from the private equity company that owns it.

On New Year’s Eve, Original Island Shrimp House held a fundraiser for the family, donating a portion of dinner orders to the family. The restaurant raised $4,000. Joey’s Red Hots and Nothing Bundt Cakes in Orland Park have also collected sizable donations for the the family.

Niko’s mother quit her job as a hairstylist to provide 24/7 care for her son, which includes feeding him, doing several loads of laundry daily, running out to get his food and medicine, and helping him with all of his personal needs. This goes on all day and all night, every day of the year. Because of Niko’s brain injuries complicated by his quadriplegia, the state doesn’t have a facility that can care for him.

The state pays Roula $13 for nine hours for every 24-hour period to take care of her son; Paul injured his shoulder moving his son and is recovering from surgery. The couple have poured their life savings into helping their boy.

“Only my parents can properly provide the care and attention I need. Without them, my fate is certainly sealed … allow me to live my days with the people who love me and have given everything they have to give,” Niko writes.

Now, it's a race against time to raise the balance of what is needed to give the Bezanis family a fighting chance to stay in the home that has been accommodated for their son's needs.

To make an online donation, visit Save Niko’s Home on Crowdrise. Checks and monetary gifts can also be dropped off at the Original Island Shrimp House, 12902 S. LaGrange Road, Palos Park. Make checks payable to Rula Bezanis, f/b/o Nikolas Bezanis.