thedrifter
01-30-09, 03:36 PM
New home built for paralyzed Marine
The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Jan 30, 2009 15:28:03 EST
MIDDLEVILLE, Mich. — Former Marine Cpl. Joshua Hoffman was paralyzed from the chest down two years ago by a sniper’s bullet in Iraq. He uses a wheelchair and has been in and out of hospitals with infections.
But life will get a little easier for the 26-year-old on Saturday, when he moves into a specially equipped house in western Michigan built and donated by hundreds of volunteers.
“Josh, he is ecstatic. It’s going to be such a relief to get out of our apartment with room to breathe, so he can feel more independent,” his fiancee, Heather Lovell, 22, told the Grand Rapids Press.
The one-story home near Middleville is equipped with a motorized ceiling track lift system to help Hoffman get in and out of bed and the shower, an oxygen-distribution system to help treat his frequent lung infections and a backup generator in case of blackouts.
Chet Teater, 62, of Caledonia is one of about 700 people who pitched in to help build the house.
“Josh has paid a heavy price to serve our country,” the Vietnam War veteran said. “He has an attitude, a zest for life that is hard to match, given his condition.”
Teater and others helped raise $80,000 for the project. The home was largely financed by Homes for Our Troops, a nonprofit organization based in Taunton, Mass., that helps build homes for wounded and disabled veterans.
“Men and women like Josh are modern-day heroes,” said Brian Reed, project manager for the organization.
Lovell said she and Hoffman are thankful for the help.
“It’s unbelievable. There’s no way to express it in words,” she said.
Ellie
The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Jan 30, 2009 15:28:03 EST
MIDDLEVILLE, Mich. — Former Marine Cpl. Joshua Hoffman was paralyzed from the chest down two years ago by a sniper’s bullet in Iraq. He uses a wheelchair and has been in and out of hospitals with infections.
But life will get a little easier for the 26-year-old on Saturday, when he moves into a specially equipped house in western Michigan built and donated by hundreds of volunteers.
“Josh, he is ecstatic. It’s going to be such a relief to get out of our apartment with room to breathe, so he can feel more independent,” his fiancee, Heather Lovell, 22, told the Grand Rapids Press.
The one-story home near Middleville is equipped with a motorized ceiling track lift system to help Hoffman get in and out of bed and the shower, an oxygen-distribution system to help treat his frequent lung infections and a backup generator in case of blackouts.
Chet Teater, 62, of Caledonia is one of about 700 people who pitched in to help build the house.
“Josh has paid a heavy price to serve our country,” the Vietnam War veteran said. “He has an attitude, a zest for life that is hard to match, given his condition.”
Teater and others helped raise $80,000 for the project. The home was largely financed by Homes for Our Troops, a nonprofit organization based in Taunton, Mass., that helps build homes for wounded and disabled veterans.
“Men and women like Josh are modern-day heroes,” said Brian Reed, project manager for the organization.
Lovell said she and Hoffman are thankful for the help.
“It’s unbelievable. There’s no way to express it in words,” she said.
Ellie