BAYFIELD – When veteran Matthew Slaydon and his wife, Annette, stepped into their halfway-built smart home Wednesday, they were beaming and somewhat teary-eyed as 50 community members welcomed them with cheers and applause.
The Gary Sinise Foundation donated the specially adapted, mortgage-free home to the couple as part of a national program supporting veterans and first responders. The Slaydons, currently Phoenix residents, anticipate moving to Bayfield when the house is completed in May, weather permitting.
For retired U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Matthew Slaydon, it was one step closer to putting down roots in the community.
“I plan on living the rest of my life here, and I plan on paying this forward,” Slaydon said. “I’ve got so many people that don’t have any scars, but they’re so horribly wounded still, that I want to share this with.”
The foundation’s RISE (Restoring Independence Supporting Empowerment) program supports independent living for seriously wounded veterans, first responders and their families by creating specially adapted homes for each recipient. The Slaydon house is one of 78 that will be finished or under construction by the end of 2019.
Each home is designed to fit the veteran’s needs. For Slaydon, who lost his dominant arm and experiences double-blindness, the house will be automated and designed to support independent mobility.
“Matt’s going to be able to wander this property on his own, which is something he hasn’t done in 12 years,” Annette Slaydon said. “It’s really important, as we sit here and say thank you today, that you can really understand what a difference this is making in people’s lives.”
The home will make the simple tasks of everyday life – like climbing stairs, reaching a high shelf and getting in and out of the bathroom – easier for Slaydon to do independently. The house will be controlled by an iPad or voice activation. It will have camera systems, Americans with Disabilities Act-accessible hallways, no trip hazards and an intercom at the front door. The shades, television and lights are all designed to operate remotely. And if the electricity ever goes out, there’s a backup generator.
The Slaydons searched for more than a year before choosing the property in Bayfield as their home.
Certified by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the house will be fully furnished when the Slaydons move in. National associations, Home Depot, Gary Sinise Foundation board members, local contractors and others have pitched in to donate everything from the wood flooring and tiling to the furniture.
“This house is going to have all this technology in it to be able to help him live a more full and happy life here,” said Chris Kuban, spokesman for the foundation.
Veterans, contractors, politicians and law enforcement celebrated the halfway point for the smart house construction by writing messages on exposed wood framework to the couple.
Gary Sinise sent a message saying, “It is a blessing to know you and an honor to support the building of your new home.”
La Plata County Commissioner Julie Westendorff, county commissioner candidates Matt Salka and Charly Minkler, county Sheriff’s Office representatives and Bayfield town officials and community members joined in writing messages on the walls.
“It’s all about helping veterans to help other veterans. We can’t change every veteran’s life, but we can change this veteran’s life,” Kuban said.
In 2007, a roadside bomb filled with 15 pounds of homemade explosives, rebar, nails and wood screws exploded 2 feet from Slaydon in Baghdad while he was on his third deployment as an explosive ordnance technician. Slaydon lost his left, dominant arm and his left eye. He has bilateral blindness without light perception and many other severe injuries because of the explosion.
Slaydon told the gathering that before the explosion, he wandered fearlessly – through minefields and around the world.
“When I got home from the hospital ... my world was from my front door to my back door, and it has been for 10 years now,” he said.
The smart home and its large, rural property are vastly different from his Phoenix home, where he can hear gunshots and the freeway. He has post-traumatic stress disorder and feels detached from his community. Slaydon said the new home and Bayfield community make him feel truly welcome.
“I feel like my horizons are opening back up. I feel like there’s a reason to get out of the house,” he said. “Three tours in Iraq ... then pile this on top. ... Thank you for helping me restore my faith in humanity.”
smullane@durangoherald.com
