Tunnel to Towers Foundation Renovates Home for Injured Navy Veteran in Idaho Falls
U.S. Navy Petty Officer First Class Carol Kelsey was injured in 2001
IDAHO FALLS, IDAHO [May 8, 2025] — In a private ceremony, surrounded by her family, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation welcomed Navy Personnelman First Class Carol Kelsey into her newly renovated, mortgage-free smart home in Idaho Falls, Idaho.
PN1 Kelsey enlisted in the Navy in 1982, when women made up just a fraction of those in the military.
“I loved my country, I loved serving. I hope that maybe how I worked and served made it possible for women to have a more rounded career and gain the respect they deserve,” said PN1 Carol Kelsey.
She met her husband, Navy Aviation Structural Mechanic Petty Officer Second Class Bryan Kelsey, at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove in 1988. They married a year later and will celebrate 36 years together this September.
In September 2001, PN1 Kelsey was traveling from Fort Dix, New Jersey, back to NAS Willow Grove when she was hit by a car. While being treated at Bethesda Naval Hospital, she fell down a ladder onto the deck, striking her head.
PN1 Kelsey suffered two traumatic brain injuries, leaving her legally blind, and a spinal cord injury, leaving her paralyzed in both legs with no feeling below the knees.
“My husband, my children, and our grandchildren all had to adjust their lives because of me… My husband had to quit his job, and we moved homes so he could take care of me full-time,” said PN1 Kelsey. She added “Financially, mentally, physically, spiritually, my injury has affected us. ”
After several months of renovations, PN1 Kelsey and her husband, Bryan, saw the home for the first time on Monday. They share the home in Idaho Falls with their daughter Michelle, her husband, and their two children. “Having my children be able to walk upstairs to see their grandmother every morning is so beneficial for everyone. It brings a smile to everyone’s faces,” said Michelle Hannan.
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation’s Smart Home Program builds or renovates existing homes into smart homes to help our most catastrophically injured veterans and first responders reclaim their day-to-day independence.
The Foundation extended the driveway and added ramps and railings to the existing porch.
Combined two bedrooms and a bathroom on the main floor to create a master suite with an ADA bathroom and a new exit door to provide a second means of exiting the home. The carpet was removed in the living and family rooms and replaced with luxury vinyl plank flooring that is easier to navigate in a wheelchair. The Foundation installed automatic exterior doors that open and close with the push of a button, giving wheelchair access to the home. The home has been outfitted with smart technology, allowing the thermostat, lighting, sound system, and security system to run off an app.
For more information and to support our mission of building homes for America’s heroes, visit T2T.org. Join us in making a difference by donating just $11 per month.
Media Contacts:
- Trevor Tamsen – Trevor.Tamsen@t2t.org
- Monica Allen – Monica.Allen@T2T.org
About the Tunnel to Towers Foundation
Born from the tragedy of 9/11, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation carries out its mission to “do good,” by providing mortgage-free homes to Gold Star and fallen first responder families with young children and by building specially adapted smart homes for catastrophically injured veterans and first responders. Tunnel to Towers is also committed to eradicating veteran homelessness and helping America Never Forget September 11, 2001.
Visit T2T.org to learn more and follow Tunnel to Towers on Facebook, X, and Instagram.