Sam served our country in the Air Force as an environmental systems aircraft mechanic. He was on active duty during the Vietnam War and served in Guam.  In 1979 when crossing the water, a huge wave slammed him and his partner into a coral reef wall, resulting in an infection which caused blood poisoning in his leg and led to hypersensitivity vasculitis.  In 2009 his leg had to be amputated.

Shortly after being discharged from the Air Force, Sam was married. It wasn’t until his son Joey was born with chronic kidney failure that Sam turned to drugs to cope with the stress of raising a sick child.  His wife left him and took their child, and though he continued to occasionally see Joey, for the 9 years after his wife’s departure, he has no relationship with his son.

Sam lived in a tent for 6 years where his time, money, and efforts were spent getting and smoking crack. While walking down the road and noticing his own horrible reflection in a car window he had an “epiphany”.  He called the police on himself and ended up in a hospital, which ultimately led to his being clean off and on for 10 years.

In March 2016, Sam suffered from a double pulmonary embolism. He flat-lined 4 times that day but was miraculously saved.  The hospital reached out to his cousin Darlene who was listed as his “next of kin” and they were reunited after 30 years of no contact.  In August of 2016, after he recovered from his traumatic experience, she brought him from South Carolina back to Virginia.  Sam resides in a home owned by Housing Development Corporation of Hampton Roads.  He lives with his 9 year old registered emotional support dog Buster, whom he affectionately refers to as his “mutt”.

Though Sam considers himself “damaged goods”, you would know if you ever meet him how very special and extraordinary this individual is. It is people like this that Housing Development Corporation of Hampton Roads strives to help with affordable housing.  Sam is just one of the many people that HDCofHR has affected for the better, and it continues to make a difference in people’s lives every day.