Chuck Bennett shows a portrait of himself in his teenage years before suffering severe burns to his hands, legs, and face. A propane gas explosion destroyed his families home on November 6,1971, leaving the Bennett family permantently scarred.Chuck is well acustomed to the chores that farm life demand. He grew up on a dairy farm and returned once again to farming after being turned down from factory jobs because of his disability. 'I was making a dollar per hour, and in the factory they were making five or six. It just wasn't fair.'Chuck visits his mom, Virginia, every other day to check up on her health. Virginia has trouble walking and Chuck worries that she will collapse and not be able to find help. She also was burned from the waist down in the house explosion, spending over a year recovering in the hospital where she also contracted hepatitis. Chuck with nephew, Bradley, load trash on to his flat bed tow truck. Strenuous work of this type has been limited for him since an artifical heart valve replacement in Fall 2000. Chuck now depends on a $540 disability check per month, and also tows cars to supplement this income.Chuck grabs his grandson, Jacob, 3, as he runs around in the back yard. Jacob usually comes from his parents house in Bowling Green to stay with his grandpa on the weekends.Chuck rests after he overworked himself loading garbage into the dumster with his nephew, Bradley, and his friend, Brian. He returned home early because his heart started beating fast and he became dizzy. The numerous surgeries in his life have started to take a toll. He calls himself 'a walking time bomb.'
