Orange County Wounded Warrior given keys to new home

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. - A ceremony was held Saturday morning to present an Orange County Wounded Warrior with keys to a new home.

The national nonprofit organization, Homes For Our Troops, donated a specially adapted, custom home to Sgt. Patrick Wickens. 

Wickens was severely injured while serving in Iraq in 2004.

"Sgt. Wickens was serving as a wheel mechanic with the 4-27 Field Artillery, 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division, when he was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) during an ambush near Mahmudiyah, Iraq," the organization said. "He immediately lost his right leg above the knee and sustained shrapnel wounds and burns on his left leg." 

The new home features more than 40 major special adaptations such as widened doorways for wheelchair access, a roll-in shower, and kitchen amenities that include pull-down shelving and lowered countertops. The home will also alleviate the mobility and safety issues associated with a traditional home, including navigating a wheelchair through narrow hallways or over thresholds, riding on carpets, or reaching for cabinets that are too high.  

“My entire family will benefit from this amazing, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. This HFOT home represents freedom from banks and a mortgage, so we can do some of the things we have wanted to do as a family," Sgt. Wickens said.