ARVADA, Colo. — One month after Denver7 brought you the story of the Wilson family and their quest to make their Arvada home more accessible, progress is finally underway.
“We are ripping down the walls in the living room and up in the master bathroom so we can start the bathroom remodel and finish the hardwood flooring downstairs,” said Chris Hock of Earth Saving Solutions, who is heading up construction.
Tyler Wilson was wounded while serving in the Army in Afghanistan. He was shot four times, paralyzed from the waist down and now requires a wheelchair. While he can keep up with his family on a specialized mountain bike on Colorado's trails, his family's new home is a different story. It's not fully accessible for him.
Several walls in their new home were down to the studs, with hardwood floors already laid in several rooms where carpet used to be. The installation of a new elevator is almost complete. And it’s all thanks to local and national nonprofits, the VA, and volunteers coming together.
“It’s really going to change my life in every facet,” Tyler said in January.
His family recently moved into their "forever home" in Arvada, but didn’t have the budget to make it fully accessible. That left Tyler’s wife, Crystal, with the job of carrying him up the stairs several times a week.
“I told him a long time ago when we started dating, I would do anything and everything in my power to be his legs when his didn’t work,” Crystal said.
A donation from Homes for Veterans, plus assistance from Houses for Warriors, Hock and his team, and the VA have all come together to provide the funding and work to remodel the Wilson home.
“It feels good. It feels really good to help the people that help us. Any way we can, we want to help all of the time,” Hock said.
There is still plenty of work to be done, but everybody involved knows the payout at the end will be well worth it.
Denver7 will continue to follow this story, and will be there for the final reveal when it happens.