A Navy veteran who was wounded in Afghanistan receives a new, custom-built, specially adapted home. Petty Officer First Class Ryan Sykes was given a hero’s welcome this past Saturday as he was celebrated for his sacrifice for our country and given the keys to his new custom-built home in his hometown of Grass Valley, California. He joined the Navy straight out of high school in 2000 and while serving his fifth tour in Afghanistan, he sustained a traumatic brain injury that left him partially paralyzed, with cognitive challenges and speaking difficulties.
Sykes’ sacrifice and condition made him a perfect candidate to receive an adapted home from veteran support organization Homes For Our Troops. Started in 2004, Homes For Our Troops has provided over 320 specially adapted homes for severely injured former U.S. military service members. The new home has dozens of special adaptations to allow him to live comfortably and independently like wider halls and doorways, and handicap accessible counters, sinks, appliances, and windows. It also has a ceiling mounted track system to make it possible for him to move from room to room without a wheelchair.
Sykes hopes his new home will allow him to put all his energy into his training as a competitive cyclist in the U.S. Paralympics, where he’s placed first in his class the last few years, and in trying to regain his ability to walk. As he’s given a tour of his new home, he says Homes For Our Troops has “given me more than just a new house.”
Source:CBS Local Sacramento
Photo Credit: Getty