PFC Heather Cramer Trujillo

Cartersville, GA

Mission Accomplished on Oct. 6, 2018

In 2006, Army Private First Class Heather Cramer Trujillo deployed with the 14th Combat Support Hospital to Afghanistan as a surgical technician. On Feb. 6, PFC Trujillo suffered a spinal cord injury while moving medical equipment across a bridge in Kandahar, leaving her partially paralyzed from the waist down.

Since her injury, she has endured extensive surgeries to repair nerve damage in her lower back, abdomen, right knee, and kidneys. Heather was also diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome or Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD/CRPS), a neuro-inflammatory disorder that occurs when the nervous system and immune system malfunction while responding to trauma.

A recipient of a specially adapted custom HFOT home in 2018, Heather graduated summa cum laude with her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice in 2021. She enjoys spending time with her husband, three children and grandchildren. She is a published poet and recently completed her first book.

Heather credits her HFOT home with giving her a bridge to her future. “My HFOT home gave me a way to conquer my mountain. The degree allowed me to find a remote position, and the financial stability of a mortgage-free home gave us the ability to move forward with expanding our family through surrogacy.”

Heather chose to build her home in Georgia, for its quieter, slower pace of life.

Heather would like to thank HFOT donors and supporters for the gift of her forever home. “There are parts of my life I can never rebuild, but amazing people like you gave me the parts I needed to build a bridge.”