MILWAUKIE, OR (KPTV) -
Alexander Hussey is the kind of man who would do anything for a friend. So much so he went straight into the military when he graduated from Milwaukie High School and flew to Afghanistan to join the war.
"The last thing he said to his mom was ‘I'm fighting over there so the fight doesn't come over here,'" said Hussey's cousin Robert Kirk. "He was really proud to be doing what he's doing."
But terrible news came early this August. Hussey had stepped on an improvised explosive device (IED), blowing off his legs below the knee and shattering several bones.
The Hussey family has been updating friends through a Facebook page. They think he will be stable enough to fly back to the United States from the German hospital where he is currently being treated Sunday.
In the meantime, his family is doing all they can to help from thousands of miles away. It is partially lead by Kirk, who is making bracelets from military-grade cord and selling them on Facebook for $8.
The page is called "Kirk's Paracord" and orders have come in from as far away as Texas.
"I don't care if I get blisters on my hands," Kirk said. "It doesn't matter."
"Every single penny I have goes straight to Alex."
Far away in Germany, Hussey has yet to fully regain consciousness. When he does, family members will hope he awakes to their prayers and messages to know they care along with the rest of the country.
Hussey received his Purple Heart on Thursday.
"We're all so proud of (him)," Kirk said.
Copyright 2012 KPTV (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.
