CHESAPEAKE, Va. - An I.E.D. almost took his life during his fourth combat deployment in Syria last November.
Now the community is taking action to help him with a new challenge: Selling his house in Chesapeake.
Chief Petty Officer Kenton Stacy, a Navy EOD technician, lost six inches of his trachea and 42 pints of blood last November.
His teammates massaged his heart for 20 minutes to keep him alive, and those heroes were honored by President Trump during his State of the Union Address.
Kenton is now a quadriplegic and in need of a lot of medical help.
Senior Chief Petty Officer Kenton Stacy surrounded by his children in his hospital room in San Diego
“The brunt of his injury went through his neck and then his spinal cord,” said his wife, Lindsey Stacy.
News 3 spoke to Lindsey, who was in Kenton's hospital room in San Diego, over Skype.
The couple has four kids and bought a house in Chesapeake several years ago.
They said after having trouble selling it, they decided to rent it out using a property manager while the family was stationed in California.
Lindsey said the house was completely trashed by the people who lived there.
Realtor and military wife Julie Fish saw a message Lindsey posted online about their trouble with the renters.
Julie’s husband worked with Kenton. Julie didn’t know the Stacy family, but she wanted to help. So, she took action within the realtor community.
She said the carpet was rancid, smelled like smoke and the whole place needed major repairs.
Fish took action when she realized this family was suffering yet another obstacle of having to sell their home.
Military families constantly live in fear when their loved ones are deployed.
“[It] hits so close to home because it’s a small community. These guys are warriors. They’re awesome,” said Fish.
Fish said the outpouring support from Kenton’s fellow Sailors was immediate and amazing. Without being asked, she said they came over ready to do whatever needed to be completed despite them all working full-time jobs.
“Every day that it’s out there there’s a mortgage payment that needs to be made, so time is of the essence,” said Fish, adding she wants to sell the house as soon as possible.
She is doing the work and organizing the help without getting paid a commission.
“I can’t take away all of their burdens, but just to be able to help ease them,” said Fish.
The property sits on an acre of land and they would like to fence in part of the backyard.
Fish sent News 3 the information below on what is still needed:
- Minor drywall repair
- Black stove
- Fence materials
- Professional grout cleaning in kitchen/baths
- Duct cleaning or service to remediate the cigarette smoke from tenant
- Sliding door
- Front door jam/frame
- One (1) 2900 series single hung window from American Craftsman (to match existing windows)
“Lindsey has so much on her plate as it is, and being in San Diego I would really like to get this burden off of their family's back. Any help - small or large - is truly appreciated,” said Fish.
If you want to help, you can email Julie Fish at Julie.teamexcel@gmail.com
Monetary donations can also be made to the family's GoFundMe account here.
Click here to purchase "Stacy Strong" merchandise. Proceeds will be deposited directly into a Stacy Family account.
