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FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. - It took one month to renovate the Fayetteville home of Jeffrey and Tammy McLeroy, but the couple told FOX 5 the upgrades will change their daughter's life forever.
"This is what my daughter deserves. This means she can finally be independent," the disabled veteran said at his home Wednesday afternoon.
The couple's 17-year-old daughter, Angel, has cerebral palsy. She relies on a wheelchair to move from place to place. Her bedroom was on the second floor of the family's home, which meant her mother had to lift and carry her upstairs to reach her bedroom and the restroom. Mr. McLeroy, whose back was injured was he was in the U.S. Army, is not able to lift Angel.
"This just means so much. After everything I've seen and everything I've gone through, it just means a lot to see the community come together to help us like this. I'm really touched," the father said as he fought back tears.
The McLeroys’ old garage is now Angel's new bedroom. It comes with a wheel chair accessible bathroom that gives Angel the freedom to get around without relying on her parents for physical assistance. There's a desk where she can study and vanity table built to accommodate the height of her wheelchair.
"We've come through so much. It just lets me know that God always had a plan for our future," the 17-year-old said sitting on the queen-sized bed in her new room.
The McLeroys applied for the renovation two years ago from a Sunshine on a Ranney Day, a Roswell, Georgia-based organization that helps veterans who need home improvements. This year, the McLeroys were elated to learn their application was approved for a $50,000 renovation. Holly and Peter Ranney's organization has upgraded and renovated the homes of scores of veterans with disabled children since they founded the non-profit three years ago.
"It's a room of hope. We wanted to do this to make their lives easier. It's the least we could do for this family," Mrs. Ranney said Wednesday afternoon after unveiling the room to cheers and tears of joy.
Mr. McLeroy served at Ft. Bragg and Ft. Benning as an infantry paratrooper. He also served in the Reserves as a Military Police Officer Sergeant in Iraq. Seeing his daughter's new bedroom unveiled on Veterans Day made it an unforgettable holiday for the entire family.
"The burden has always been on me and her older siblings to carry Angel up and down to her bedroom and to the bathroom because my husband is a disabled vet. So, all the work they put into this--it's just amazing. And for Angel to be independent, that's major," Tammy McLeroy said.
The McLeroys’ home is the fourth Georgia home renovated and unveiled to a veteran's family in the last few weeks.