LIHUE — Army Sgt. Tyler Wilson and his family recently arrived for a six-night visit to the Garden Island through the “Vacations for Warriors” program. Wilson was with the 173rd Airborne in Afghanistan in 2005 and was shot four times
LIHUE — Army Sgt. Tyler Wilson and his family recently arrived for a six-night visit to the Garden Island through the “Vacations for Warriors” program.
Wilson was with the 173rd Airborne in Afghanistan in 2005 and was shot four times in combat.
“One of the bullets severed his spine, leaving him paralyzed from above the waist down,” said Stu Burley of the U.S. Navy League.
The Wilsons, of Golden, Colorado, were greeted by a handful of Kauai dignitaries, and received lei, gifts and certificates of appreciation. They are scheduled to leave Monday.
Tyler Wilson was the center of attention, but his son, 5-month-old Matthew, demanded equal time.
“Look at him. He’s so cute. He looks like a Gerber baby,” said Kaulana Finn, Kauai representative for U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and the director for the Kauai Big Brothers/Big Sisters. “He is a miracle baby.”
Indeed, he is.
“June 16, 2016 would change our family and become one of the most incredible dates to forever celebrate,” mom Crystal Wilson wrote in “Push Me Everyday — A Wounded Sky Soldier and his Wife’s Journey.”
“Tyler and I got to celebrate the fact that we made it this far in our In Vitro Fertilization cycle,” she said. “The Lord would bless our path with the cries, coos, smiles, and milestones that our babies would bring to our lives.
She said the journey was filled with overcoming infertility and emotional, physical and financial barriers.
“We realize we are a part of the one in eight people who are diagnosed with infertility,” she said. “To those of you who are also ‘the one in eight,’ my biggest piece of advice is do not give up. It is rough, it is hard, it is trying, it, to be quite honest, sucks. But the embryo on the bottom is now our little miracle baby. This is what we fought so hard for, and from now until forever, June 15 will be greeted with a Happy Transferaversary!”
