Skip to main content

Foundation & Community News

View All News >

Missouri Veteran Grateful for Father’s Day Renovation He’ll Never See

June 18, 2016

Father’s Day has extra meaning for a Kansas City family this year. A few months ago the Harrisons didn’t know if they’d be celebrating the holiday at all.

Nate Harrison, a Kansas City Police Officer and U.S. Marine Corp veteran, nearly died in an off-duty motorcycle crash in December 2015 when he lost control on a slick highway.

The husband and father of three young boys lost a leg and is now blind.

“The hardest thing has been my lack of vision,” Nate said. “It’s really hard not to see my wife, see my boys, and see our friends.”

The family’s split-level home has made recovery difficult because the layout isn’t accessible for him. And his wife Jessica has struggled to keep up with home maintenance now that she’s wearing multiple hats.

“You become 100% wife, 100% mom, and now 100% caretaker,” she said.

Liberty, Missouri Home Depot Kitchen Designer Susan Conge knew Team Depot could help.

“Our goal is to make the house more maintenance free, so we’re painting the house, putting in a fence, and putting in a swing set out back for three young boys here,” Susan said. “The hours we’ll spend doing this won’t even compare to the hours that Nate spent in Afghanistan, or as a police officer.”

Team Depot also fixed up the fireplace and made accessibility modifications to the bathroom.

 “It’s amazing that Home Depot would want to do this. We feel very loved and taken care of,” Jessica said. “This is just one more step that is making things easier for us. It’s huge.”