Wounded San Antonio Veteran Surprised With Fully Furnished, Wheelchair-Accessible Home

A Texas veteran and his family were presented with a brand new, custom home—and it didn’t cost him a cent. 

The Home Depot Foundation and Jared Allen’s Homes for Wounded Warriors dedicated the fully furnished and specially adapted smart home to San Antonio Purple Heart recipient Sergeant Anesi “Maverick” Tu’ufuli on Friday morning.

“The excitement is through the roof, I’m blown away, this is not what I expected, this is above and beyond from what I thought was going to happen,” Tu’ufuli told reporters after being handed the keys. “Being here, seeing all this, it’s like I’m watching a show, I’m in the show right now really!”

Tu’ufuli stepped on a remote-detonated IED during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2005. He sustained several injuries, including the loss of his left leg and damage to his right. After returning home, Tu’ufuli transitioned to civilian life with his wife and two young daughters. In 2018, his wife died from cancer, leaving him to care for their daughters as a single father. 

Due to his injuries, Tu’ufuli currently spends around 50% of his day in a wheelchair. The home he previously lived in was not wheelchair accessible, making it difficult for him to move safely, independently, and comfortably around the house. 

The Home Depot Foundation worked with The Home Depot to fully furnish and decorate the 2,800- square-foot house with items selected specifically for his individual needs, including low countertops, and a specially designed shower, to make maneuvering in a wheelchair more seamless. 

“Why shouldn’t they [veterans] have everything that they need after what they’ve done for this country?” Alex Karalexis of Jared Allen’s Homes for Wounded Warriors told KSAT.

Tu’ufuli said he is profoundly grateful to receive such a life-changing gift.

“This is the way of serving people that served, helping them by giving back,” he continued. “Not all of us come back 100%. Something like this, it may help them to bring them back to their home.”

Thank you for your service.