In Their Own Words: Mark Mix
When Navy SeaBee Mark Mix couldn’t afford a handicap accessible home, CSAH stepped in and donated $20,000 to help the Mix family go home again
Shortly after the 9/11 attacks, Mix was deployed to the Philippines with the MMCB- 1, where he suffered his first injury. While he and his team were clearing a path for the Marines, a nearby bridge exploded and Mark sustained severe neck and back injuries.
Although his doctors tried everything they could to help him walk again, Mix was told that he never would. He was medically discharged on February 28th of 2005 with a 100% disability rating from the VA.
“When I was told I would be in a wheelchair for the rest of my life, I did not know what I was going to do or how I was going to provide for my family,” Mix said.
A Not So Warm Welcome Home
After he was discharged, Mix and his family moved home to Ohio where they lived before he joined the Navy.
“We had a really difficult time finding housing that would be handicap accessible. We have 4 children and everywhere we looked to live that would accommodate my handicap was for the ages of 65 and older,” Mix said. “You can’t do that to children and the only other place we found was a crummy two bedroom apartment that would have never held our family.”
In addition to their housing problem and trying to cope with the grim news that he may never walk again, Mix and his family were met with the harsh reality that many wounded veterans face when they return home injured.
“While I was in and out of the hospital, my wife Jasue was my primary caretaker,” Mix remembered. “With my continuing medical treatments and physical therapy, in addition to our four young children, Jasue had her hands full.”
To make matters worse, the family faced crippling financial difficulties. Mix was physically unable to work for months and his wife’s new full time job was taking care of her husband.
Mix said, “When I returned from the Navy, we did not have a suitable home, I was permanently in a wheelchair and I found myself constantly wondering how we were going to make it through this difficult time.”
“A Weight Was Lifted”
Mix learned about Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes during therapy in Tampa. He and his wife were invited to attend our Road to Recovery Conference at Walt Disney World in Orlando. This experience gave the Mix family a chance to take time off from their stressful lives and interact with others in similar situations.
This past year, the Mix’s received one of the best gifts imaginable when we gave them $20,000 to help pay for a new house. The Mix family used this money, plus a grant from the VA to build a new, handicap accessible house in Warsaw, OH.
The couple was more than grateful to finally be able to provide their children with adequate housing. “The Coalition made so much of our financial stress disappear,” Mix said. “I cannot explain the weight that was lifted from my shoulders. I am so grateful and appreciative for the kindness of the organization and all those who were involved in the donation. We would not have this house without the Coalition”
Even after the gift from the Coalition, the Mix family continues to experience difficulties. Mix has been actively seeking work for years since he was medically discharged with no luck.