A disabled Navy veteran from the South of Philadelphia will be moving into a new state and a new home. A home, he has never seen until last Monday. The house which is located in Mullica Hill has been technologically equipped with 40 features which are meant to assist Timothy Birckhead in a rare medical condition that made him leave the military service.
The ABC Network Television filmed the whole event and the hosts from their TV show “The View” were present to greet Birckhead and also interview him.
The national nonprofit organization Homes for Our Troops (HFOT) awarded the specially equipped custom home to Birckhead. The organization has done the same for other seriously injured and medically disabled veterans since 2004. Birckhead who is currently bound to a wheelchair was very grateful and said that at last he has the opportunity to do many things even take a shower on his own. The 34-year-old U.S. Navy veteran suffers from hereditary neuropathy with liability to pressure palsies (HNPP). This condition is medically known to affect the sensory and motor nerves in the limbs. Just a few days before the reveal Birckhead admitted to the Courier-Post that he felt like a waiting for Christmas.
Birckhead had been given the freedom to pick anywhere in the United States to live, however, he opted for Mullica Hill because the area has open spaces. Birckhead had been living with his mother Gloria and brother Walter in the South of Philadelphia in their row home.
Birckhead's mother who is a retired Philadelphia school teacher, plans to move to the Mullica Hill home so that she can take care for her son. Birckhead currently needs assistance in doing every basic thing and he is considered to be 100 percent disabled by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Birckhead has a 12-year-old daughter who lives with her mother.
The new home has widened doorways and the hallways are spacious enough for wheelchair access. The shower has a roll while the kitchen has amenities like the pull-down shelving and the lowered countertops, making it easier for him to reach things. Contributions made by donors, corporate partners and in-kind supporters made it possible for the housing agency to build a dream home for Birckhead. While Home Depot did the furnishing of the house. Kristi Galanek, who is the HFOT spokeswoman said that they are glad that they could award Timothy, with his new home. The special adaptations of the new home will make the daily living situation easier for Birckhead, hence giving him more time to spend with his family and also pursue his goals
