By Suzanne Schmidt
An injured war veteran living in Wesley Chapel needs the community’s help to stay in his home.
The Meet Jose fundraiser is set for Saturday, Aug. 7 at Weck’s American Grill in Lutz.
Alex Altenhoff, co-owner of Weck’s, said from the moment he met Pequeno he knew he wanted to help him.
“We wanted it to be a nice backyard shindig where whole families can come and eat together,” Altenhoff said. “This is not about whether you are pro- or anti-war. Jose made his decision to fight for America and he needs support. We wanted to keep it simple so that everyone from the family can come out and just have a good time.”
Altenhoff said he was inspired by the strength and determination he sees in Marine Staff Sgt. Jose Pequeno, 36.
It has been more than four years since he returned to the states after that fateful day in Iraq when a grenade was thrown into the Humvee he was riding in. He suffered a severe brain injury along with a number of other injuries. Since then he has had 21 surgeries and spent a total of 34 months in the hospital.
The day his mother, Nellie Bagley, received the call he was injured is one she will never forget. It was March 1, 2006 when her whole life turned upside down.
“They told me that my son had been in an accident, but they wouldn’t give me details,” Nellie Bagley said. “When that happens, you imagine the worst. When you get a call like that you lose a piece of yourself. That phone call is always in the back of my mind. They said they didn’t think he was going to make it.”
Pequeno either damaged or lost 50 percent of his brain on the left side. Bagley and her daughter Elizabeth Bagley traveled to the Navy National Medical Center in Maryland to see him as soon as he got back to the states.
“When we were allowed to see him, we took our gloves off and touched his shoulder in the only place we could,” Nellie Bagley said. “We looked at him and told him that we care for him and that if he wanted to let go he can. We said if he wants to stay and fight that we will be there for him. We told him he will never be alone.”
His mother and sister have kept that promise by taking care of him everyday since he cannot take care of himself and he still cannot speak. Up until the last year and a half, they stayed with him while he was in and out of several hospitals. Since December 2008, they have been living with him in a home in Wesley Chapel. Now it is time to buy the house they have been renting, but they do not have the money.
“I started looking for a rental house that would allow me to fix the bathrooms and install ramps and widen the doors,” Nellie Bagley said. “The goal was to get him into a house and out of the hospital so he could get better. I found someone who would let me rent the home and we had all of the modifications done but I had to sign a contract stating I would buy the house in a year.”
Heroes to Hometown with The American Legion did all of the $60,000 worth of modifications to the home but now the family is struggling to be able to buy it. The contract to buy the home was up in October.
“Over a year has gone by and we haven’t had any success in raising money for the house,” Nellie Bagley said. “Being out of the hospital is the best thing for him. No medication can replace the love and attention of a family around him. If we get the house secured that would be one big weight off my shoulders. We have to keep the house, because Jose has to stay out of the hospital. The difference in him since he has been out is unbelievable.”
Elizabeth Bagley was a college student at the time of his injury. She gave up school and everything in her life to be there for her brother and her mom.
“At first it was very scary because of the condition he was in,” Elizabeth Bagley said. “Seeing the improvement he has made has been very rewarding. Being able to bring him home was the best thing for him. Ever since he got out of the hospital, he has been more relaxed and less depressed. It gives him something to look forward to.”
She said she knows her brother understands what is going on around him.
“We are typical brother and sister,” Bagley said. “I will give him a hard time about the outfit he is wearing and he will make a growling noise or make a face as if he is retorting. It may take time but I have no doubt in my mind one day he will communicate with us down the line. He is already communicating with us through facial expressions and moans and groans.”
Bagley said she is very proud of her son.
“When you have a child and they get hurt you kiss it and put a Band-Aid on it,” Nellie Bagley said. “I wasn’t able to be with him when he was hurt. I will never leave his side. His sister and I have been by his side every day 24 hours a day. If he didn’t want to live, he had plenty of opportunity to let go. He is a fighter and he wants to live. I am proud of him, everyday he fights for his life.”
He has been improving thanks to the physical, speech, occupational and pool therapy he has been doing five days a week and to the love and support of his family.
“We have been helping him to keep his muscles in shape and keeping him strong physically and mentally,” Bagley said. “We take him to the movies, to the beach and to restaurants. He eats what we eat. I put it all in a blender and put it in the feeding tube.”
For more information or to donate, call (813) 948-1615 or visit www.wecksamericangrill.com.
How you can help Jose at Aug. 7 fundraiser
By Suzanne Schmidt
The Meet Jose fundraiser will raise money for Marine Staff Sgt. Jose Pequeno with food, drinks, raffles and a silent auction at Weck’s American Grill, 18450 US 41, Lutz, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 7.
Alex Altenhoff, co-owner of Weck’s American Grill, said meals of Johnsonville brats and pulled pork barbecue sandwiches with a side of red bliss potato salad will be served, along with Blue Bunny ice cream, Budweiser beer and Sprecher’s root beer – all donated.
“The outpouring of support from the community has been amazing,” Altenhoff said. “We are getting a 32-inch flat screen TV from Buddy’s, a necklace from Keifer’s and memorabilia from stars. The Florida Aquarium will be donating park packages.”
Altenhoff said he is still accepting donations.
“We are asking for local businesses to donate goods and services,” Altenhoff said. “Everyone who donates will be on our website permanently. The overall goal is to do something nice for our neighbor who is in need to show our gratitude for the ultimate sacrifice he made for our freedom.”
Pequeno’s three children Mercedes, 15, Alexandria, 13, and Gaige, 12, will attend along with his constant caregivers, mom Nellie Bagley and sister Elizabeth Bagley. The event will also draw a lot of military icons and some celebrities, Altenhoff said.
“He is looking forward to meeting people,” Nellie Bagley said. “He is aware of his surroundings. He understands what is happening around him. He knows everything that is going on, he is just trapped within himself. It means a lot to me to know the community cares and supports him. That is bigger than anything else. I think it means a lot to him too.”
The money raised will go to the Aleethia Foundation, a nonprofit organization, for the Jose’s Place fund. For more information visit the foundation’s website at www.aleethia.org.
