On Monday, July 17, Freedom Mortgage joined Homes for Our Troops (HFOT) in welcoming Timothy Birckhead and his mother, Gloria, to their custom-built home in Mullica Hill, NJ. Tim and Gloria were greeted by an exuberant crowd including members from the Bible Way Baptist Church, Mullica Hills Fire and Police Departments, and ABC’s The View.
Tim Birckhead enlisted in the Navy in 2000, serving for seven years as an air-launched weapons technician on the USS Iwo-Jima. During his second tour in 2006, Tim noticed a progressive weakness in his limbs and in 2007 he was unable to pass the Navy’s physical readiness test, ending his beloved military career. It wasn’t until 2009 that doctors were finally able to diagnose him with hereditary neuropathy with liability to pressure palsies (HNPP), which affects sensory and motor nerves. He suffers from increasing weakness and atrophy in his limbs due to this degenerative disease.
Tim’s new home allows full wheelchair accessibility including wider doorways, a roll-in shower, and features like pull-down shelving in the kitchen. This is a dramatic upgrade from where he lived in Philadelphia, PA, where he was largely confined to his bed and required his mother’s help for simple, day-to-day tasks.
"Not having to rely on somebody to take a shower is going to be a whole new way of life," Tim told NJ.Com.
This is the 237th home HFOT has built to help disabled veterans reclaim their independence. HFOT is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization that builds and donates specially adapted custom homes nationwide for severely injured post – 9/11 veterans like Tim.
Freedom Mortgage is proud to support HFOT, and has partnered with this charity organization on many events including our annual 5K race, Mortgage Bankers Association fundraiser, and through Freedom 2 Give, our employee payroll contribution program. To-date, Freedom Mortgage has donated over $50,000 for HFOT. To lend your support, please visit https://www.hfotusa.org/
