{"id":7721,"date":"2025-12-06T21:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-06T21:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7721"},"modified":"2025-12-06T21:30:00","modified_gmt":"2025-12-06T21:30:00","slug":"va-treatment-gave-me-a-new-lease-on-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7721","title":{"rendered":"\u2018VA treatment gave me a new lease on life\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"tni-source-date\"><strong>Originally published:<\/strong> 2025-12-06T21:30:00+00:00. Historical source article: benefits, rules, amounts and deadlines may have changed. Check the official source for current information.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">93-year-old Virginia Veteran is home and thriving after VA treatment<\/h2>\n<p>Army Veteran William Huff is a resilient man who, with the help of the <a href=\"https:\/\/news.va.gov\/?s=Salem+VA+Medical+Center\">Salem VA Health Care System<\/a> (SVAMC), defied the odds to return home to continue doing the things he loves most.<\/p>\n<p>But in January 2025, the future for the 93-year-old Veteran was discouraging.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe thought we were bringing him home to die,\u201d Huff\u2019s son Howard said.<\/p>\n<p>After a fall at a local nursing home broke his back, his family feared he would never return to the vibrant, active man they once knew.But, in less than half a year, Huff\u2019s outlook would change dramatically. \u201cHe not only survived, he\u2019s home and thriving\u2014thanks to Salem VA,\u201d Howard said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/news.va.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/Huff_r2-scaled.jpg\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">93-year-old Virginia Veteran is thriving after VA gave him back the things he loves most. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>In February 2025, Huff underwent kyphoplasty surgery at the SVAMC. The procedure, which treats vertebral compression fractures, is not the most common for a 93-year-old to receive, but this treatment made all the difference for him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was night and day\u2014there was instant relief,\u201d his son Howard recalled. \u201cAnd the personalized care the staff gave him was second-to-none.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Huff\u2019s recovery was supported by a dedicated care team at the SVAMC, including Physical Therapy Assistant Brittany Mills. Their connection was so strong that when they reunited recently, Huff\u2019s eyes welled with tears, and he gave her a big hug.<\/p>\n<p>Huff fondly recalled how Mills would sit outside with him, working through therapy sessions. \u201cThe therapy was slow at first, then it took off. He did all of the hard work, he was motivated,\u201d Mills said.<\/p>\n<p>Huff\u2019s main motivation? Returning to the place he loves most\u2014his home.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">From soldier to home builder<\/h2>\n<p>Drafted during the Cold War, Huff served in the Army from 1956 to 1958, then continued in the Army Reserve until 1962. Stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas, he was responsible for putting the complex electronics and hydraulics systems into position to fire\/test.<\/p>\n<p>After his military service, Huff turned his skills to construction, building houses with his own hands. Over a lifetime, he built more than 176 homes, overseeing every detail\u2014from foundations to plumbing to roofing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019d start from nothing, and drop the keys off in their hands,\u201d he said proudly.<\/p>\n<p>Living and working at home is meaningful, as it represents his life\u2019s work, not just physical home he built for himself, but the life he built with the people who lived inside it. He lived there with his late wife Lola, his children and many cherished moments.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt means everything\u00a0to be back home,\u201d Huff said. \u201cMy wife\u2019s memory and spirit stay with me here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He reminisced with a chuckle, \u201cLola wanted a pony. I had to buy 10 more acres to get one, though.\u201d He loved caring for his 10-acre lot, and exploring the property, something he can do once again thanks to a scooter from VA.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Thriving today<\/h2>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/news.va.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/Huff_r1-scaled.jpg\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Army Veteran William Huff credits VA for turning his life around. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>In addition to a scooter, the SVAMC provided Huff with a specialized bed, lift, two wheelchairs and a walker.<\/p>\n<p>Today, Huff starts his days getting out of bed, dressing himself and making breakfast. \u201cI\u2019m a pretty good cook,\u201d he laughed. He exercises on the back porch using a homemade ladder to pull himself up and down.<\/p>\n<p>He tends to his plants and takes pride in using his blower to clean the porch and driveway, taking special care to ensure no grass, dust or debris is left behind.<\/p>\n<p>He also completed a 500-piece puzzle recently, just one of the many ways he keeps his mind sharp.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI enjoy doing these things\u2026 they keep me going,\u201d he shared.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">VA care<\/h2>\n<p>Huff has received care through VA for 17 years and has a simple message for Veterans, whom he knows often put the well-being of others before themselves: \u201cIt\u2019s not a weakness to come to VA\u2014they want to help you, and they will help you. Every time I come here, I leave better than when I left. I trust the people here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mills reflected on what drives her and her fellow employees at the SVAMC. \u201cIt\u2019s always special to see the impact your care has, when they can go home and enjoy their favorite things in life, that\u2019s why we do what we do here at the Salem VA,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe saved me\u2026 VA changed my life and gave me back the things I love most,\u201d Huff said.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s never too late to apply for VA health care you\u2019ve earned. If you are a Veteran or know a Veteran who has not yet applied for their VA health care benefits, learn how to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.choose.va.gov\/health\" rel=\"noopener\">get started<\/a>.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n<p>This article was originally published on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.va.gov\/salem-health-care\/stories\/va-gave-me-a-new-lease-on-life-93-year-old-virginia-veteran-home-and-thriving-after-va-treatment\/\" rel=\"noopener\">VA Salem Health Care site<\/a> and has been edited for style and clarity.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p class=\"tni-attribution\">Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/news.va.gov\/143148\/va-treatment-gave-me-a-new-lease-on-life\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs<\/a>. Its Veterans is an independent publication and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Army Veteran William Huff credits VA for turning his life around.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":327,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7721","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-u-s-veterans-health-care"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>\u2018VA treatment gave me a new lease on life\u2019 - Its Veterans<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Army Veteran William Huff credits VA for turning his life around.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7721\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u2018VA treatment gave me a new lease on life\u2019 - 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