Sep 10, 2014 4 min read

Jan Cerminara of Pool and Spa Outlet on Gallery Road in North Strabane Township said in the 26 years she and her husband, Fred, have been in business, the company has installed thousands of pools. However, the fiberglass pool recently installed at the Vitale house in Peters Township is one of – if not, the most – important projects, she said.

Doug Vitale was severely wounded while fighting in Afghanistan in September 2011 when he stepped on a land mine. He lost both legs above the knee and suffered strokes on both sides of his brain because of blood loss.

In July, Vitale and his wife, Alexis, moved into their custom home in Peters Township designed to permit the couple to live as independently as possible. Funds for the $500,000 home were raised through community efforts, such as VFW Post 764 in Peters Township, and other national organizations including the Wounded Warrior Project and Tunnels to Towers.

While the home is equipped with special lifts and other amenities to aid the Vitales, Cerminara knew something was missing – and that something was an outdoor therapy pool.

When Doug Vitale’s mother-in-law, Denise Abraham of Peters Township, was purchasing a hot tub from Cerminara’s daughter, Ashley Meucci, who went to Peters Township High School with Abraham’s son Matt, the two began to talk about how much Doug Vitale used to love to swim.

After more than a year of discussions among the Cerminara family members, the idea of installing a pool was born, and Pool & Spa Outlet donate a Viking fiberglass constant-depth pool that will provide a place for Doug Vitale to have water therapy.

Alexis Vitale said the family is working with the Veteran’s Administration to determine what type of lift will be needed, with the VA providing the eventual choice. Because there is not a lift, no one but the family’s service dog, Partner, has been in the pool, and that was because he jumped in to retrieve a toy.

“It’s a small pool,” Cerminara said. It measures 12 feet by 25 feet, and is a constant depth of 4 1/2 feet. Installation took about a week at the new house on Longleaf Drive in Venetia. The Cerminara family was not the only one to donate services. Donations came from Silhol Builders Supply Co., All Around Concrete Pumping, Cerminara cousin Anthony Cerminara provided the excavating, Briggs Electric, A&S Landscaping and Santel Landscape and Design in Bethel Park, just to name a few. Jan Cerminara said the company’s lead installer, Bob Kaczorowski, donated his week’s salary while working on the project, and other vendors provided discounts on materials.

“We had amazing community support,” she said. “Alexis expects nothing, but you just can’t do enough for them. Here is a young man in the prime of his life and he served his country.”

Not only was the pool donated, but the Cerminara family is providing lifetime pool maintenance including opening and closing the heated pool.

“Hopefully, this (pool) will help him and keep his muscles going,” Cerminara said.

Alexis Vitale said the couple will use the pool for water therapy.

“It will be wonderful for movement issues. He loves the water,” she said. Before the injury, Alexis Vitale said her husband would spend hours in his parent’s pool regardless of how cold the water temperature was.

“We would go to the beach and he was always in the water,” Alexis Vitale said.

Partner, the golden lab mix service dog, is also a big help for the Vitale family. Alexis Vitale said he is trained to open and close drawers, push the button to open an automatic door and he helps with therapy by racing from side to side to encourage Doug Vitale to use both arms.

Cerminara is amazed by the support she encountered during the pool-planning process, as well as the outpouring of help from the community.

“I have two healthy kids and four healthy grandkids and if something like this happened to them, I’d hope someone would stand up and help,” Cerminara said.