A Chairlift Won't Work: Funding an Elevator for Purple Heart Veteran

Tyler Wilson fought for our freedom in Afghanistan. He was attacked by the Taliban and as a result, he is bound to a manual wheelchair for the rest of his life. Tyler has been resilient since returning from his deployment. He found a love for adaptive sports where he met his wife Crystal. Together they built a life together, had two beautiful sons and purchased a home! 

Crystal is a firefighter and at times has to leave Tyler alone with her two young boys. They purchased their home with a plan to make it adaptive. Tyler deserves to be independent and safe, that is after all, what he fought for overseas. After applying for the VA Special Adaptive Housing Grant, the VA only granted them enough funds to complete a portion of their barrie-free plans. They were going to have to make a choice - install an elevator or adapt the kitchen and bathroom downstairs. 

This is where Homes for Veterans stepped in. We believe Tyler should not have to sacrifice when it comes to his children's safety and his independence in his own home. He has already sacrificed too much. With the help of you, our concerned and caring donors, we donated the $60,000 to install their elevator. 

You may wonder why Tyler cannot use a chairlift to get upstairs. As Crystal explains in the video below, using his arms to transfer his full body weight to get in and out of his chair, every day, for years and years, will eventually cause additional injury. Every transfer is essentially a day closer to less mobility. 

Meeting the Wilson family was an honor and truly inspirational. We are extremely excited to get this project started and we are so happy to collaborate with Houses for Warriors and everyone involved to give Tyler his barrier-free home!