BATAVIA, Ohio — Army veteran Sean Rhorer had been deployed to Afghanistan, dealt with post-traumatic stress tied to his service and had his own challenges transitioning back into the civilian world. A motorcycle crash became a pivotal moment as he struggled to get his life back on the right track.
"It was really a decision point where it's like, you know, you could go back to the person you were and blow everything away and just never achieve anything," Rhorer said. "Or you can continue to move forward. And I did."
That quote is in his bio on the Easterseals Redwood website, where Rhorer shares his journey.
Rhorer was able to move forward, continuing to pick himself up through programs at Easterseals. Now, the same organization that helped him navigate his new path employs Rhorer as a lead job developer working to give a hand up to other veterans in search of employment.
"I love what I do and I love getting out there and helping the veterans that I work with," Rhorer said.
The 2020 motorcycle accident left pins in one leg and meant the loss of another. It also meant learning to walk with a prosthetic leg.
"It’s difficult, it wears on you," he said.
Recently, Rhorer's story made its way to Don Reilly who founded Back Home Patriots in 2018.
"I love just going in and being physical with these guys and helping them transform spaces to make their life easier," Reilly said. "And when I got the call for Sean, it I was just like I got to help this guy he's a deserving veteran."
His nonprofit has built whole homes and renovated others to provide a space that makes sense with the veteran’s personal situation.
"There’s such a need for small things ... we don’t always have to build a house, you know what I’m saying?" Reilly said.
For Rhorer, accessibility at his home was a main concern.
“In the middle of the night when I have to use the restroom, I literally have to scoot across the floor,” he said. “The reason I have to do that is the upstairs isn’t big enough to have a wheelchair.”
That’s where Reilly and his team get to work. They’re ripping out an old bathroom to make things more accessible for Rhorer at no cost at all to him.
"This is going to be amazing in so many ways," Rhorer said.
Reilly said all of the money he gets through personal donations or from organizations like the United Way go toward the veteran projects they take on.
They recently launched an "I Got Your 6" fundraising campaign where people can sign up to donate $6 a month to help support projects.
Reilly said he’s grateful for the support of the Bootsy Collins Foundation and country singers Clay Walker and Toby Keith, who’ve supported his mission over the years.
You can find out more about Back Home Patriots by visiting their website.
If you have a veteran story to tell in your community, email homefront@wcpo.com. You also can join the Homefront Facebook group, follow Craig McKee on Facebook and find more Homefront stories here.
