WATCH — ‘A Tremendous Gift’: Veteran Receives Wheelchair-Accessible Home Just in Time for Christmas

A U.S. Army veteran and his family are enjoying a very special place they now call home thanks to the non-profit group Homes for Our Troops.

Army Staff Sergeant Bryan Price entered his family’s specially designed home in Casper, Wyoming, on Saturday after receiving the keys during a ceremony where his courage and sacrifice were honored, Oil City News reported Wednesday.

Now, Price will not have to struggle to get around because the house is wheelchair accessible and that will enable him to be the best husband and father he can be.

An image shows the veteran and his wife inside their adapted kitchen with huge smiles on their faces:

Price said, “Everybody wants a home. Everybody wants to own their own home. And the gift of a house is such a tremendous gift to give somebody; especially one that’s perfectly adapted and built and designed for you. It’s going to make my life so much easier. I’m getting old; my joints hurt. They were talking about all the skiing and stuff, and I’m paying for that fun now. And so not living in an adapted house, it kind of hurt.”

A group of quilters also presented the veteran with a Quilt of Valor during the ceremony.

In June 2006, Price was serving in Baghdad, Iraq, when he was severely injured, according to the Homes for Our Troops website.

Price was “with 2/502 Infantry, 2d Brigade, of the 101^st Airborne Division, and assigned to a Military Transition Team (Mitt), when an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated on the left side of their vehicle. The blast, which was followed by a firefight with insurgents, resulted in shrapnel injuries to his back and legs which caused a spinal cord injury, paralyzing him from the waist down,” the site read.

Price began the long road to recovery and eventually discovered he loved cross-country skiing and biathlons.

“Being on the snow mitigates the restriction of his wheelchair and gives him the freedom he lost with his injury. He not only loves playing the sport, but also enjoys coaching,” the website continued.

When the non-profit heard his story, its leadership decided it wanted to give him a place to call his own that would bring his family comfort.

“Not only are they helping me, but more importantly they help my family by giving me ease of mind and safety that enable me to be a father and a husband,” he said.