One of my favorite programs within Hope For The Warriors® is our A Warrior's Wish® program. Through this program, we have the opportunity to support our service members, veterans and their families by granting a Wish.
I love to read the Wish applications and imagine how granting this Wish will impact the service member's life. Our website states:
A Warrior's Wish® supports the long-term goal of hope beyond recovery. These Wishes fulfill a desire for a better quality of life or support a quest for life-gratifying endeavors. Knowing that wishes can come true directly affects service members' spirits in addition to the families and communities that support them.
The Wish I share today has definitely improved the quality of life for one veteran and his wife. By granting this Wish, we have saved this couple from a 45-minute drive, each way, for something as basic as taking a shower!
This month we completed a Wish for a couple in Missouri. In 2004, he was deployed to Iraq with the Navy Seabees. While our warrior stood on a ladder and performed a security sweep, his unit came under fire, causing him to plummet to the ground. The fall resulted in severe head trauma and back injuries in additional to post-traumatic stress disorder.
He retired in August 2005 after more than 30 years of service and although he is able to walk with a cane, struggles with his mobility. Their home had a bathtub/shower combination and he could not shower without assistance from his wife. Even with her help, he suffered several falls. This autumn, the couple decided that using the shower was too dangerous for him. Three times per week, the couple would drive 45 minutes each way to the YMCA in the closest city to take a shower.
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| Bathtub/shower that was unsafe for our warrior |
The couple turned to Hope For The Warriors® with the Wish to have their bathroom renovated to include a safer shower. We very easily approved this Wish!
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| New safer shower that includes a handle bar |
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