U.S. Army Staff Sergeant and Austin police officer Tammy Barrett and her family participated in a dedication Tuesday afternoon for their new, wheelchair-accessible home built by Operation FINALLY HOME.
Barrett is paralyzed from the waist down following an ATV accident last summer. She fell 45 feet off a cliff while she was vacationing in New Mexico, where she waited to be rescued for six hours with two collapsed lungs. After a 14-hour surgery, she was told she could never walk again.
Barrett has served the APD for over 10 years.
Her family's custom-built, mortgage-free home was built by nonprofit Operation FINALLY HOME in partnership with Austin Cops for Charities and Henley Homes, Inc. A groundbreaking ceremony was held back in March.
Operation FINALLY HOME aims to build custom, mortgage-free homes for America's military heroes and widows of fallen soldiers.
"Very surprised," Barrett said. "Very humbled. Not deserving. You know, this is .... huge."
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In addition to the Operation Finally Home house, Barrett has received a lot of support from the community following her accident. A former APD officer and current Williamson County Sheriff's Office reserve deputy sold shirts to help raise money for her recovery, the community rallied for a benefit in her honor in September and officers stopped by during the building of her home to write "notes of love" inside the walls.
At the dedication Tuesday, Barrett also received a surprise: a proposal from her boyfriend, Cortney.
"I don't know what to do right now," Barrett said. "I want to laugh. I want to cry. And I can't breathe because this home is just beyond what I could have ever imagined."
Barrett said she is believing for a miracle: to be able to walk again.
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