WAVERLY, Tenn. (WTVF) — When flooding hit Waverly in 2021, it washed away Eileen Puckett's home while she was still in it.
"Never been that scared in my life, and I’ll admit I’m over 65," she said.
Today she's thankful for her new house which stands where her old one once stood.
"Well, they started to work on my house on April 5, 2022, and they were actually able to hand me the keys on May 19, 2022," said Puckett.
Appalachia Service Project built Puckett's home. Now they're working on three more mortgage-free homes across the street from Puckett with the help of Tennessee First Lady Maria Lee.
"To see that homes are going up, lives are being restored — it’s encouraging," said Lee.
It was all part of Lee's Tennessee Serves initiative helping Tennesseans in need across the state. Accompanied by her husband Gov. Bill Lee, the First Lady got her hands dirty grading and raking the yard of a new home built for survivors of the flood.
Her appearance comes after Lee's eight-month battle with lymphoma.
"I'm feeling amazing," said Lee. "Last Monday, I got a clean bill of health saying there was no evidence of cancer and that I’m officially in remission."
Lee completed 18 weeks of treatment and underwent a successful stem cell transplant in February.
"I have no immune system. It’s rebuilding, regenerating," she said. "I’ve no childhood vaccines anymore, so I have to get all those again."
Lee said she still has more healing to do, but like the new homes for survivors of the flood, it's the beginning of a new chapter ahead for Tennessee's first lady.
"I know I’ve had the strength of the Lord, surrounded by family and friends who’ve gotten me through this, had a great team of doctors and nurses that set me on a course of treatment that has landed me here now on this side of it," said Lee.
