One disabled veteran will be able to live on his own, after receiving a little help from a lot of volunteers in Fallbrook.
Just over four years ago, Nick Kimmel was a Marine sergeant serving in Afghanistan. He lost his legs and most of his left arm to a roadside bomb explosion near the Kajaki Dam. It changed his life forever, and so did having a home of his own.
“When you have to rely on someone else all the time, it gets to be cumbersome,” Kimmel said. “I almost feel like I’m burdening them a little bit. So now that I have a home that I can be by myself, now I don’t have to rely on anyone else. It allows my life to get back to normal.”
A group of foundations and volunteers led by the Gary Sinise Foundation built him a home in Fallbrook that is adapted to work with his abilities.
“You can pull down the inside of the cabinets, so he can reach them. Everything is at his level,” said Judy Otter, executive director of the Gary Sinise Foundation.
The house is run by a computer server in the front room closet. The lights and blinds run on an iPad, so Kimmel doesn’t have to get out of bed to close the drapes.
This was the 40th home dedicated by the Gary Sinise Foundation. The actor met Kimmel after the veteran threw out the opening pitch at the 2012 World Series.
The foundation's goal is to work with severely disabled vets to design homes that they cam live in the rest of their lives.
