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\n This story continues below.
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For Jaskolka, it is also a first.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis will be the first home that I\u2019m gonna be the homeowner of,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s unreal. I never envisioned that I\u2019d have a home like this.\u201d<\/p>\n
The ranch-style home was designed to remain accessible if Jaskolka needs to use a wheelchair or crutches. It includes wider halls and doorways, automatic door openers, roll-under sinks and counters, pull-down shelving and other adaptations meant to give him greater independence.<\/p>\n
Those changes are especially meaningful after years of living in homes that were not built for his needs.<\/p>\n
Jaskolka said his family has rented homes where they could not make major accessibility modifications. After surgeries left him using a wheelchair or crutches, something as routine as taking a shower could become dangerous.<\/p>\n
He described hopping on one leg over the metal railing of a shower because there was no easier way inside.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve broke a toe and had some nasty falls,\u201d Jaskolka said. \u201cLuckily I won\u2019t have to do that anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The new home also gives his family something they have not had much of before: space.<\/p>\n
Jaskolka said the larger yard will give his children and dogs more room. There is also a playground and a flagpole outside the home.<\/p>\n
As he raised the flag at his new house, he said the moment was still difficult to process.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think all of it kind of still isn\u2019t real,\u201d Jaskolka said. \u201cI\u2019m probably gonna be pinching myself for the next couple years.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nYears before he applied <\/p>\n
The path to Saturday\u2019s ceremony began years earlier.<\/p>\n
Jaskolka said he applied to Homes For Our Troops around 2019. After being accepted into the program, one of the longest parts of the process was finding a piece of land that met the organization\u2019s accessibility requirements.<\/p>\n
The property needed a limited grade so the ranch-style home could remain wheelchair friendly and avoid steps that could become barriers later.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
But Jaskolka said an even bigger hurdle came before he ever filled out the application.<\/p>\n
For years, people encouraged him to seek help through programs available to severely injured veterans. He resisted.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been 15 years since I was injured,\u201d Jaskolka said. \u201cI always felt like I wasn\u2019t injured enough or hurt enough. A little bit of guilt involved.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eventually, he said, he overcame that feeling and applied.<\/p>\n
Now, he wants other injured service members who may feel the same way to hear his story.<\/p>\n
Jaskolka said veterans who qualify for programs such as Homes For Our Troops should not let guilt or the belief that someone else may need the help more keep them from seeking resources designed for them.<\/p>\n
\nA home built for independence <\/p>\n
Homes For Our Troops is a nonprofit that builds and donates specially adapted homes to severely injured post-9\/11 veterans. The organization says its homes are designed to restore independence and allow veterans to focus on their families, recovery and rebuilding their lives.<\/p>\n
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