John-boy's Place

04/17/2026

It's getting to be that wonderful time of year when all of the trees are back to green and the birds are everywhere!!

For those who may have missed the memo, John-boy's Place is a fully accessible vacation home on a beautiful lake in Andalusia, AL. I bought this home and modified everything to be super accessible after living with my husband's ALS battle for two years. Unfortunately he passed away prior to this amazing place being created, but it is dedicated to him in every way. I made sure that it has everything, does everything, and exudes the peace and sincerity that we so desperately were missing while John was living with ALS...dying a little bit every day.

Accessibility is NOT uniform across the rental, resort and vacation industry. I used to be angry about it. As I envisioned John-boy's Place a year before John passed, I came to realize that the biggest problem is awareness and understanding. Until a person, a family, has experienced a life changing diagnosis or disability, the true need for accessibility that is verifiable and complete is not known. I believe that hosts/entities do what they think is enough to claim accessibility, but unless they have walked in those footsteps, it will continue to be "not enough".

John-boy's Place

04/06/2026

01/25/2026

Accessible Travel Press is giving us a welcome shout-out! Remember, I can't HELP the people that John-boy's Place is designed to help if they don't know it exists! Please share on your feed, your pages and your groups, especially if they relate to accessibility and wheelchair travel.

Accessible retreat in Alabama John-boy’s Place. Windchime Wishes Limited &Windchime Resources are joining forces to provide 5-6 night stays.

01/06/2026

Here is the link to the Airbnb site. Remember to please reach out to me if you or a family member are living with a disability requiring confirmed accessibility, so that we can discuss your specific needs! Thank you!

Leslie Stewart Gafford

John-boy's Place

01/05/2026

New year, NEW focus!

For those of you who have followed John-boy's Place since the beginning, you likely know most of what you need to know. For those who are new to my mission and my goals, thank you for joining the journey to provide safe, fully accessible accommodations for patients and families living with major mobility challenges, ALS, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, TBI, SCI and so many other diseases and conditions.

My goal is to provide one stay per month to these folks at little or no cost to them. BUT, I need to get the word out! I can't provide this opportunity to people who don't know about it. With regular bookings, I can do this easily.

** I have many folks who have found the house with a search for accessible vacation homes and made their reservations without any advance notice to me. If they reach out to me prior to booking, or if they are referred to me by a group or provider or similar entity, I can do plenty to help them afford a stay, from completely free to paying only the cleaning fee to paying for a couple of days and getting free nights added. It's really just a matter of communication! Also, I do have families that insist on paying, so that I can cover someone else's gifted stay. I've had the most amazing people stay at John-boy's Place so far, and all I want for the future is to increase my numbers of stays by people who truly need what the house and grounds have to offer.

Most groups do not allow me to "self-promote", so there are already barriers to reaching folks. BUT, if you or someone you know has been to John-boy's Place, I would so appreciate a > and a short explanation or testimony as to the validity of its accessibility, its peace and quiet, and its benefits for both patients and caregivers. My desire is to provide the space for people to MAKE MEMORIES DOING THE LITTLE THINGS...

An example of the need happened back in the summer, when a daughter contacted me to see if I would just rent out some time in the barrier-free 6x9 shower, as her father had not been able to have a shower in over two years. With that story, I was able to bring the family in, gift a couple of nights and provide groceries, as well, due to a donation from a special friend. The time they spent at John-boy's Place was truly life-altering for members of this family. Remember, it's all about the little things.

11/27/2025

Happy Thanksgiving to all! So happy to have a sweet family at the house for this holiday week. Their son is living with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and is enjoying the freedom and space at John-boy's Place!

10/18/2025

Remember when planning travel, that accessibility is NOT a given!

It’s horrible to find this out the hard way - arriving at a resort or hotel or cabin and finding out that your loved one can’t access the bathroom or get into the bed safely or even worse, cannot SAFELY enter the house. But it happens. Early in John’s illness, I was angry and assumed it was deliberately misleading; however, as his ALS progressed, I realized that it was more a case of ignorance. If you have never needed TRUE and verifiable accessibility, then you can’t truly understand its importance.

John-boy's Place is different. It is set up and modified specifically for those needing accessibility and medical equipment. Your loved one, or the patient, is the main guest at John-boy’s. I created the spaces to reflect all of the needs of an ALS patient and family, to ensure safety, to enable comfort and peace, and to give the patient just a touch more autonomy. There are endless areas to sit and relax and to “check out” of the rat race. Not only does this benefit your loved one, but you, as the caregiver, can let your guard down a bit, too!

Everything about John-boy’s Place is intentional. From the Bruno wheelchair platform lift to the widened doorways and threshold ramps, and the electric hospital bed that stays set up in the master bedroom, it is designed for safety, comfort and ease of use. Whether it’s a family vacation or a wedding party or small group, if there is a need for accessibility, it’s here.

10/10/2025

Fall is a beautiful time of year at John-boy's Place, but remember, FALL in southern Alabama happens mostly in November!!

John-boy's is strategically set up for super accessibility and is perfect for families or extended families, as well as small group meetings and weekend getaways.

*Besides the modified master bath which has a whopping 6' x 9' roll-in shower, there are threshold ramps and widened doorways, as well as a 10ft Bruno wheelchair lift to make getting around, up and down easy to do. Available on-site equipment includes electric hospital bed, hoyer lift, over-bed tables, lift chair, elevated toilet seat and super smooth fully reclining shower chair.

Families or groups needing accessibility, please reach out to me prior to booking to discuss needs and options ~ it's waiting and ready to assist you in making great memories!

John-boy's Place

12/16/2024

Ok Fairhope, Alabama...do your thing! Get down to Fairhope Brewing Company over the next two months (estimated) and ask for the new Saints Rebirth Double IPA, pictured below.

As long as supplies last, $1 of every pint will be donated to Ales for ALS. It's a win-win!!! Tasty brew on tap, COOL cans to-go, and funds for ALS research!

Every 90 minutes, someone is diagnosed with the disease, and someone passes away from it.

12/15/2024

Saints Bingo ready to go!!