A specially adapted custom home gives many severely injured post-9/11 Veterans something special: a barrier-free environment where they can focus on being a father.
After losing both legs while serving in Afghanistan, Marine Corporal Brandon Rumbaugh thought raising a family in his non-accessible home would be impossible. He had a hard time getting around himself; he could not imagine caring for a child. Receiving his Homes For Our Troops home in 2014 opened up many opportunities for Brandon, including the possibility of children. In 2019, Brandon and his fiancée, Cassy Sanderson, became parents to a baby girl named Remi.
Brandon can hold Remi in his wheelchair while taking her outside to play (her favorite activity) because of features like the automatic doors and wider hallways. Additionally, not having a mortgage has enabled Brandon to start a civil engineering, land surveying, and environmental company, giving him the financial security to provide for his family and serve his community.
“Thank you for providing me an opportunity to live my life without limits. Thank you for freeing me of the financial burden of a mortgage so I could invest in my business, which now employs 20 hardworking Americans. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to play with my daughter, just like any father would,” says Brandon.
Thank you for giving fathers, like Brandon, a safe place to raise their children.
Happy Father’s Day.