People cheered and waved American flags as law enforcement officers escorted Chris Chatwin and his family to the Elks Lodge in Northeast Bend on Saturday. As Chatwin, a disabled military veteran, got out of his car, the crowd sidled up to shake his hand and thank him for his service, but the sea of people parted willingly to make room for him to walk comfortably through the door.

Chatwin walked into the Elks Lodge with a cane. Over the course of six deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, the 44-year-old suffered from gunshot wounds, a traumatic brain injury and prolonged exposure to burn pits. In 2012, he was diagnosed with neurosarcoidosis, a rare progressive chronic illness that affects nearly every part of his body, including his spine, kidneys, liver, lungs and eyes.

“He goes from being in (a wheelchair), to no cane to needing the cane, but he is actually the healthiest he’s been in the last six to seven months, which is great,” Chatwin’s wife Katie said.

That’s why the fully accessible, free house being built for Chatwin’s family of five by Homes for Our Troops is so important. Since 2017, when the disease temporarily rendered Chatwin a paraplegic, accessibility has been at the forefront of the Chatwins’ lives.

Chatwin served in both the Marines and the Army, where he finished his service as a sergeant. While the connection between illnesses like Chatwin’s and burn pits — the moniker used for the military’s practice in both Iraq and Afghanistan to burn trash in open-air pits — has been speculated upon for years, the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs only acknowledged it as a service-connected disabilities in 2022.

Although construction on the home being gifted to Chatwin and his family began in June, the event at Elks Lodge was a chance for the national nonprofit to showcase the work. The custom build will have more than 40 special adaptations, including lowered countertops, custom entryways and Chatwin’s most anticipated feature, a therapy tub.

“Many severely injured veterans are living in conditions that do not support their everyday life. Most of us don’t think about how challenging it can be taking a shower, using the seat and even just getting around the house,” said Andy Garcia, the production lead for the building contractor Certainteed in Bend.

“Thanks to (Homes for Our Troops,) Sgt. Chatwin will have the independence to move throughout the house, live his daily life in a safe environment and use that incredible bathtub.”

Homes For Our Troops has built 373 homes in 45 states since the Boston-based non-profit was established in 2004, but this is its first construction in Bend. The new home is one of 83 active construction sites across the country and will allow Chatwin to live more independently.

After the ceremony, the Chatwins invited The Bulletin to walk through their partially constructed home north of Bend. As they gave a full tour of the property, their three young kids — Miles, 9, Marlowe, 8 and Maxwell, 6 — excitedly explored the property, weaving through hundred-year-old Juniper trees.

“If you can see, the doors are a lot wider,” Chris Chatwin said. “With my disease, doctors say at some point I’m going to end up in a chair again. So that was the biggest reason, I think, for the house. (Homes For Our Troops) usually only (works with) amputees. I’m the first veteran with the burn pit disease to be affiliated with them.”

In 2018, Chatwin’s disease spread to his heart and he was re-diagnosed as terminal. Katie said two years ago, the doctors estimated he had another two to five years, but the family is optimistic because recent scans show no further progression.

“Everything was stable. Nothing’s gotten worse. Nothing’s gotten better, but that’s great news,” she said.

Today, Chatwin spends his time supporting veterans in Bend. He’s a mentor and spends much of his time at the Central Oregon Veterans Ranch, a peer driven support organization.

“Five days a week, Chris gives back to veterans, mentoring them, counseling them, sharing with them hanging out and being with them and recognizing their service,” said Bill Seymour, Home For Our Troops construction operations director. “Despite his daunting medical challenges, Chris remains incredibly positive, incredibly inspirational.

Homes For Our Troops estimates construction on the home will be finished sometime in May. In the meantime, the group will hold a volunteer event where supportive members of the community can come out to the Chatwins’ new home to help with landscaping. No date has been set, but those who are interested can stay up to date through Home For Our Troop’s website.