Preston, Conn. — The old farmhouse at 57 Watson Road needs a lot of work, but Alan MacGeachie and his wife, Susan, can't afford to make substantive improvements.

The problems with the house pale in comparison to the problems former U.S. Army Sgt. Alan MacGeachie has faced since serving with a combat engineering unit in Afghanistan in 2005.

MacGeachie, 40, received a medical discharge in 2008. He walks with a cane. His eyes are very sensitive to bright light and have difficulty focusing. He can't drive a car, can't work, can't keep his balance, struggles to organize his thoughts, gets migraine headaches and says his temper can be unpredictable.