Tyler Wilson with WWRA
Army Cpl. Tyler Wilson, his wife, Crystal, and son, Matthew, arrived on the island Thursday on the last leg of a two-week vacation to Hawaii paid for by a veterans group from their home state of Colorado. Vacations for Warriors selected the family, which stirred a national debate last year when they sought financial help from the VA to cover in vitro fertilization.

​Army Cpl. Tyler Wilson, his wife, Crystal, and son, Matthew, arrived on the island Thursday on the last leg of a two-week vacation to Hawaii paid for by a veterans group from their home state of Colorado. Vacations for Warriors selected the family, which stirred a national debate last year when they sought financial help from the VA to cover in vitro fertilization.

The method is the only way Wilson, who was paralyzed from the waist down by a bullet during a firefight in Afghanistan, can produce a child. The VA does not fund the treatment, but was forced to temporarily lift the ban after the couple lobbied Congress.

The couple successfully had a child after eventually finding a private clinic in Denver that offered a discount on the procedure.

“After an incredibly difficult year in trying to have Matthew, Vacations for Warriors gave us such a blessing where we can truly be able to enjoy each other’s company,” Crystal Wilson said at Kahului Airport. “To be able to see both Tyler and Matthew go to the beach for the first time together and to be able to see both of their smiles — it’s been nothing short of incredible.”