New American Canyon Home Modification Project
Update April 2, 2014:
The interior has been fully modified to allow for easy wheelchair access, including new flooring and fresh paint as additional upgrades so Eric will be more comfortable when he comes home. A new concrete patio and walkways have been poured so he can move freely from the front or interior of the house to the backyard and a ramp was built for easy access to the front door. With the help of volunteers from the local Home Depot, new fencing was installed in the backyard.
The family is doing some additional work themselves on the exterior of the house, all in preparation for Eric’s return home. A lift system is being installed in their bedroom and their daughter is making new curtains for the windows. Once the family completes the required caretaking classes with the medical staff in Palo Alto, Eric will be able to return home for the first time in 3 years. Once he gets settled, we hope to hold a small “welcome home” ceremony to meet him.
Solano-Napa Habitat sends a big “thank you” to all the volunteers who assisted on this project. And the Mies/Rassin family “could not be more thankful and feel very blessed that we have helped them on this very long and arduous journey.”
Update February 19, 2014:
Work is nearing completion of the modification of the Mies/Rassin home in American Canyon, so that Eric Mies can return home from the VA hospital where he has lived ever since a hang-gliding accident left him paralyzed almost 3 years ago. The interior has been fully modified to allow for easy wheelchair access, a new concrete patio has been poured in the backyard so he can freely move outside and a ramp will be installed to the front door to make for easier front entry. And with the help of volunteers from the local Home Depot, new fencing was installed in the backyard. Fresh paint and new flooring will be additional upgrades added so he will be more comfortable when he comes home. We expect the project to be completed by early March.
Original Post:
Eric Mies and his family need your help. Solano-Napa Habitat for Humanity has chosen the Mies Family for a home modification project to allow Eric to come home. Eric suffered a major spinal cord injury in a hang-gliding accident that rendered him paralyzed from the upper chest down. He has been confined to theVeterans hospitals in San Francisco and Palo Alto for the past two years, undergoing several surgeries. With the help of Solano-Napa Habitat for Humanity and your donations, Eric will be able to return home and have accessibility and space to function.
Eric grew up in Southern California and has lived in the Bay Area for 35 years; in American Canyon since January 2000. Eric served in the U.S. Navy as a hospital corpsman. Following his military service, Eric was in construction for 35 years. He also has a love for wildlife and with construction techniques, sought ways to address human/wildlife interaction in a humane way throughout the Bay Area.
Eric has a passion for flying and had been hang-gliding for over 23 years. He was a tandem rated hang-gliding instructor and has flown hundreds of tandem flights, flying people from all over the world to experience the complete joy and freedom of flight; as he has said many times, he became one with the wing. This ended in May 2011 when he was involved in the accident.
His wife Celia works as a full-time secretary. His daughter, Natalie, currently is attending Napa Valley College. His family and friends love and miss him dearly and need him to be home.
