SFC Tuimalealiifano suffered a spinal injury as a result of a firefight in Afghanistan in mid-2007 which resulted in quadriplegia. SFC Tuimalealiifano is still on active duty and hopes to continue doing so to play an active role in helping similarly wounded soldiers get through the physical and emotional pain of these life altering injuries. As a result of the injury,SFT Tuimalealiifano's wife was forced to quit a lucrative career in the medical field in order to care for Tuimalealiifano full time.
The debt and limited accessibility that accompanied the injuries forced the Tuimalealiifano's to rent out their 2-story home and move in with their in-laws ranch home which had to be modified with an accessible bedroom and bathroom. They had to purchase a new van to be adapted to accommodate a wheelchair, the VA assisted in the purchasing of accessibility equipment, but not the purchase of the van.
The Heroes' Fund assisted the Tuimalealiifano with a payment towards the principle of the vehicle.
