One Vermont Soldier is getting ready to come home after being severely injured by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. The attack left US Army Private First Class 22-year-old Andrew Parker a quadriplegic.

"I miss my brother, can't wait to see him home," Andrew's Brother Chad Parker said.

Just three months ago Chad Parker got the news of what happened to his little brother overseas.

"My mother came to my work and pulled me aside and said Andrew was hurt in Afghanistan," Chad Parker said.

Chad says it's been a day to day challenge for his brother to get back his strength to come home.

"He can do great one day and not so great the next," Chad Parker said.

But before Andrew can make the trip back to Hyde Park Vermont, major house repairs need to happen so he can live safely at home. The plan is to turn his parent's garage into Andrew's new room, which involves putting in wheel chair ramps, bathroom and even a trolley system to help Andrew get in and out of his wheelchair. A complicated process for contractors.

"We have to do the plumbing underneath. We have to relocate some of the existing materials," contractor Mark Wright said.

This project is going to cost more than twenty five thousand dollars, money Andrew's family doesn't have. So, Diane Marcoux Leclair, Andrew's Kindergarten Teacher started a fund, collecting money in baskets for his new room.

"As people put their money in, they can just get a glimpse of who Andrew is and the type of man he became," Diane Marcoux Leclair said.

Family and friends are hoping to collect enough money in time for Andrew's return in April.

"He is still my little Brother, he hasn't changed at all," Chad Parker said.

Send donations to the Andrew J. Parker fund at:

PO BOX 352, Hyde Park VT 05655

Or Call Diane Marcoux Leclair at (802) 888-3092