The Tabora Family

After completing his first tour in Iraq, Corporal Jacob Tabora was based as a Tank Gunner at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, California. As he was training to be deployed to Iraq for his second deployment, a 120mm round malfunctioned. It exploded inside the tank, covering Jacob with second and third-degree burns over more than half his body. But as a Corporal in the United States Marine Corps, Jacob made it his new mission to persevere through this devastating situation. During Jacob's arduous recovery, his parents divorced, and his brother divorced. While Jacob's mother took on the role of his caretaker, Jacob grew extremely close to his brother's twin boys, becoming a father figure to them. After five years in burn recovery in the care of the extraordinary Burn Unit at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Jacob finally started to feel like himself again. He completed his degree in criminal justice from UTSA (University of Texas at San Antonio), met and married his wife, Ceanna, and together they have three children, two boys and one girl. Still, some days are harder than others. He admits he still has "bad moments" and suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. After living in his current home for nine years, located about 25 minutes from San Antonio, it's clear that the space is long overdue for a renovation. There's water damage under the siding. The windows and doors are in bad shape. The outdated HVAC system does not work well. Ceanna, who loves to cook and bake, has a kitchen that needs serious upgrading.