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Wounded Marine looks forward to La Grange home makeover
Updated: September 3, 2012 1:56AM
LA GRANGE — Marine Lance Cpl. Josh Misiewicz, wounded in Afghanistan, is taking a welcome two-week break from rehabilitation therapy in Bethesda, Md., to vacation at home with family and friends in La Grange.
“When I think how well he’s doing, it’s amazing,” said his mom, Nancy Misiewicz. “We’re amazed at the progress he’s making.”
Nearly a year ago on July 20, Misiewicz, 23, lost both legs and his hearing was severely damaged after a buried explosive device detonated while he was patrolling a desert outside Sangin in the Helmand province.
Misiewicz, a 2006 graduate of Lyons Township High School, has continued progressing as an outpatient and lives in the wounded warriors barracks at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda. He is walking on prosthetics and also uses a wheelchair.
“Josh was home in March after a surgery to recontour the bone on one leg, so he had to stay off his legs and rest,” his mother explained. “This time, he can just connect with friends and family.
“It’s great having him home,” she said. “That helps in the healing process.”
In addition to catching up on life in La Grange, Misiewicz plans to attend a fundraiser golf outing in his honor July 9 in Tinley Park to help defray expenses in his recovery.
Misiewicz also looks forward to the completion of a home makeover to accommodate his wheelchair through volunteers from the Sears Heroes at Home program and Rebuilding Together, a nonprofit group. Accommodations include ramps, a wheelchair lift, wider doorways and hallways and kitchen renovations.
“They’re still working on things,” Nancy Misiewicz said. “Our house was in great shape before, but we had carpeting. Now they put in hardwood floors and a bathroom to accommodate a wheelchair so he can roll into the shower.
“It’s all about him, making him feel comfortable, so he doesn’t have to struggle to get through a doorway,” she said. “They did a really nice job. It’s beautiful what these organizations have done to help.”
Nancy Misiewicz has taken turns with her husband, Bill, staying in Bethesda to help their son recover. Their daughter, Alyse, a senior at Western Michigan University, took over for the past month, and Josh Misiewicz said he’s ready to be on his own more when he returns to Bethesda later in July, his mother said.
For more information on fundraising events to benefit Misiewicz’s recovery, or to donate, visit www.joinhandsforjosh.com.
