Client Story: Robert
Robert, who’s been in a wheelchair since 2014, had been sleeping on the floor of his empty apartment for almost a month. But thanks to YOU, he now has a bed to sleep in and all the basic home furnishings needed to turn his empty house into a home.
After serving in the Army for 13 years, Robert worked for Harley Davidson and built custom motorcycles. He was riding one of the custom motorcycles he built in Daytona Beach in 2014 when a semi-truck blew through a red light on U.S. Highway 1 and hit Robert, throwing him 320 feet down the road and sweeping his motorcycle underneath the truck.
Robert, 59, ended up in a coma for six weeks. The accident left his face and skull shattered and broke 26 of his bones. He said the accident caused his neuropathy, and he needs a wheelchair for mobility.
After Robert got out of the hospital, he said he didn’t have anywhere to go, so he spent several years bouncing from multiple homeless shelters. Robert also has stage 4 cancer and receives chemotherapy and radiation treatments.
In December 2019, Robert received housing assistance from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH), which referred him to The Mustard Seed for furniture assistance. While at The Mustard Seed, Robert also received a winter coat donation from Burlington Coat Factory just in time for an oncoming cold front.
“Thank you for everything,” Robert said, speaking about community donors. “It makes life worth living when you have something to go home to.”
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