(CUTLINE): The G.-E. family, Heaven-Lee Angel and Amanda and Tammy, listen as Habitat Chair/CEO Ann Felton Gilliland welcomes them to the Habitat family.

Family Finding Better Days at Cornerstone Creek After Moving into Forever Home

If there’s ever an award for overcoming enormous odds, Amanda and Tammy G.-E., married now for 20 years, might walk away with the trophy. Today, happier times are finally here after celebrating the new home dedication of their Habitat house on Jan. 10, 2025, at Cornerstone Creek.

Yet, homeownership once seemed far away after the couple experienced separate devastating car accidents on the same day in 2010. Amanda hit black ice and crashed into a concrete barrier, unknowingly suffering a brain-fluid leak. She called Tammy, who was dropping off their children at daycare. When Tammy arrived, a car going 55 mph struck her, pinning her between vehicles before Amanda’s truck pivoted and ran over her legs. Both women were rushed to O.U. Medical Center.

Doctors told Amanda that Tammy would never walk again and needed a double-leg amputation. “I fought for her not to lose her legs,” Amanda said. Determined, Tammy regained her mobility after 18 months, though she’s permanently disabled. Amanda also suffered long-term complications, sending their finances into turmoil. “We lost everything,” she said. Over the years, the couple also battled unreliable landlords, soaring rents and neighborhood crime.

Last year, Tammy was diagnosed with leukemia. While up late researching chemotherapy, she discovered Central Oklahoma Habitat’s new Cornerstone Creek development. “God’s calling is that we need a forever home,” she told her family.

She said that from day one, Habitat made the process seamless. Nervous about construction, the couple quickly learned from the Habitat construction crew how to help build their own and others’ homes, and their family pitched in to help complete their required sweat equity hours. Amanda posted online after their home dedication: “Thank you, Habitat, for blessing our beautiful family with a home. From foundation to framing, writing prayers on the walls—it’s been an amazing journey.”