Corporal Visnu Gonzalez, USMC

On April 21st, 2004, while serving in Iraq, Corporal Visnu Gonzalez was shot by a sniper, severing his spinal cord in the C-6, C-7 level. He also received a shot to his left subclavian artery that caused severe bleeding and near death. Despite surgery to stabilize his vertebra, today, Cpl Gonzalez remains paralyzed from the upper chest down.

Battling constant setbacks and chronic depression during his rehabilitation, his family and doctors agreed that the best course of action would be for Cpl Gonzalez to return to his family's home in the Dominican Republic where he could receive support from friends and immediate family. In his mother's words, "Our hope was to help him regain love for life and a meaning to save himself". Their efforts have been successful and while Cpl Gonzalez' morale improved with a goal to further his education, it has in recent months become evident that the Dominican Republic can not adequately support his medical needs nor access to his VA benefits that would allow him to return to school.

Wanting to see her son succeed and thrive, Cpl Gonzalez' devoted mother, caregiver and advocate, contacted Hope For The Warriors™ with a heartfelt wish that she could relocate her family and son to New Jersey where they would have better access to hospitals and schools as well as the support of extended family.

Homes For Our Troops also rallied to the cause and approved the family for a home. To take advantage of this unique opportunity, the family needed assistance with a down payment on land where the home could be built. Hope For The Warriors™ pledged its support and raised money toward this down payment.

Through fundraising efforts of the Warrior Wish™ program, this Wish became a home.

To learn more about the ongoing project to build a New Jersey home for Corporal Gonzalez, please contact Pat Berardo, a local resident helping coordinate community involvement, at pber103@aol.com.