Mastic veteran returns home after 7 months in the hospital
Billy and Vivian Teemsma spent nearly $200,000 of their own money to make their home more accessible.
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A Mastic veteran is back home after spending months in a hospital.
Bill Teemsma went into the hospital last fall in late October to have surgery for an aortic aneurysm, a procedure that he was told could possibly leave him paralyzed. About a day after the surgery, Teemsma woke up to learn that he was paralyzed.
"I got through it," Teemsma said. "There were three choices - either everything was gonna be hunky-dory or what I have now or death, so I went for door No. 2."
His recovery required six months of rehab at a VA hospital in the Bronx with other health setbacks that kept him away from his family.
Teemsma's wife, Vivian Teemsma, spent that time working to turn their home into a place that would be more accessibly for her husband.
In order to do this, they had to drain their 401K and all of their savings.
"Your priorities change now, it's like now that' he's home, getting used to being home, getting used to all the doctors and the nurses being here because he's not mobile yet," Vivian Teemsma says.
Bill and Vivian Teemsma spent nearly $200,000 of their own money, but the VA donated an elevator to help the veteran get in and out of the home.
The Teemsma family is still hoping to buy an accessible van. If you would like to help them, you can donate to their GoFundMe.
