(Photo courtesy of Homes For Our Troops)
The national nonprofit organization, Homes For Our Troops (HFOT) will donate a home to Army Sergeant Christopher Chatwin on Saturday, June 29, 2024. SGT Chatwin was severely injured while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. The event will be held at 20920 SW Gift Road, Bend at 10am (check-in at 9:30am). The public is welcome to attend and tour the home after the ceremony.
Chatwin went on five combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. Over the course of his deployments, he sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI). In 2012, Chatwin was diagnosed with neuro, cardio, pulmonary, and orthopedic sarcoidosis caused from the extended exposure to burn pits during his deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. The condition causes bi-lateral leg limb salvage, left arm and hand limb salvage, hemi-paralysis, and internal injuries. This incurable disease affects the cells in organs throughout the body. He underwent therapies for several months at the VA Hospital in Indianapolis.
Now medically retired, Chatwin enjoys spending time with his wife, Katie, and their three children Miles, Marlowe, and Maxwell. Despite Chris’ health challenges, he lives life to the fullest and enjoys adapted snow sports, camping with his family, volunteering, and fishing. The one-story, open floor plan and the other special adaptations that a specially adapted custom home provides will alleviate his family’s concerns for his safety.
SGT Chatwin’s new home features more than 40 major special adaptations such as widened doorways for wheelchair access, a roll-in shower, and kitchen amenities that include pull-down shelving and lowered countertops. The home will also alleviate the mobility and safety issues associated with a traditional home, including navigating a wheelchair through narrow hallways or over thresholds, riding on carpets, or reaching for cabinets that are too high. HFOT will donate the home to SGT Chatwin thanks to contributions from donors, supporters, and corporate partners.
Chatwin is thankful to HFOT donors and supporters and says receiving a specially adapted custom home from Homes For Our Troops is an opportunity for stability and freedom for himself and his family. “It will open a whole new world up as I will feel safe at home and it will enable our lives to be lived. Thank you for this life-changing gift of opportunity and fulfillment.”
Currently, there are over 73 active projects underway nationwide. To find out more on how to get involved or make a donation visit hfotusa.org.
Read more about SGT Chatwin at hfotusa.org/building-homes/veterans/chatwin.
About Homes For Our Troops (HFOT):
Homes For Our Troops (HFOT) is a publicly funded 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization that builds and donates specially adapted custom homes nationwide to severely injured post-9/11 Veterans, to enable them to rebuild their lives. Most of these Veterans have sustained life-altering injuries including multiple limb amputations, partial or full paralysis, and/or severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). These homes restore some of the freedom and independence our Veterans sacrificed while defending our country, and enable them to focus on their family, recovery, and rebuilding their lives. HFOT builds these homes where the Veteran chooses to live, and continues its relationship with the Veterans after home delivery to assist them with rebuilding their lives. Since its inception in 2004, nearly 90 cents of every dollar spent has gone directly to our program services supporting Veterans.
