HVAC Company Donates HVAC Unit To Needy Couple Sherwood Matthews and his wife, Betty Jean, of Selma pose for a photo after being told they won a free HVAC system for their home Tuesday. Sherwood allowed the photo of his wife, saying in his eyes she was the most beautiful woman in the world. The HVAC system was given away on WTSB Radio by Biggs HVAC. Thanks to a local heating and air company, a needy Johnston County family will be able to stay warm this winter and cool next summer. Scott and Jerri Biggs, with Biggs HVAC, held a promotion asking people to submit letters about individuals in need of a new system. Allison Smith, a social worker at the Johnston County Department of Social Services, submitted a letter about Sherwood and Betty Jean Matthews of Selma. Betty Jean, 67, was working at Wal-Mart in Smithfield, then at Wal-Mart in Clayton, when her family started noticing signs of Alzheimer’s Disease. She was soon diagnosed with Alzheimer’s by her family doctor. A short time later, she was also diagnosed with brain cancer. She did well during surgery but all the cancer could not be removed. After her release from the hospital, Mrs. Matthews spent two weeks at home and was able to walk, talk, feed and dress herself. One morning, Sherwood, 74, got up and found his wife was unresponsive. She was rushed to UNC Hospital where doctors diagnosed her as having suffered a stroke. Sherwood visited his wife every day in Chapel Hill, and after her release spent every day with her at a local nursing home. Sherwood was concerned his wife was not getting the care she needed and brought her to their rural home and began caring for her 24 hours a day. Sherwood only takes a break when his children come to visit, allowing him to go to town and run necessary errands. Sherwood says he misses talking to his wife, who is bed bound and must be bathed, fed, clothed, changed, and turned in bed. He says he knows his wife so well he can still tell what she wants by her facial expressions, even though she has lost her ability to talk. During the summer, the Matthews’ heating and cooling system stopped working. They did not have the money to buy a new one. Sherwood was worried about the winter months and being able to keep his wife comfortable. Smith submitted a letter to Scott and Jerri Biggs who selected the Matthews family out of 60 letters they received wanting the free Lennox HVAC unit. Scott Biggs says Sherwood is not only a great person, he is a great husband and father. On Tuesday, Sherwood was notified live on WTSB Radio1090AM he was the recipient. Afterwards he broke down and cried. Biggs HVAC, with the assistance of Lennox, and Amped Electric Inc. of Four Oaks, owned by Jeffrey Holland, plan to install the new heating and cooling unit in the Matthews’ home before Thanksgiving. “I want to especially thank Scott for his kindness and generosity. All of us at Social Services are humbled by what he is doing to assist this family and we will never be able to express how thankful we are to him,” Smith told WTSB.
