Wounded Warriors, Veterans Find Therapy On Ski Slopes
(March 17, 2010) |
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Army Spc. Les Timms, injured during a vehicle
rollover in Afghanistan, skis down a mountain during a wounded
warrior adaptive sports session March 11, 2010, at Whitetail Ski
Resort in Mercersberg, Pa. The USO of Metropolitan Washington and
the Two Top Mountain Adaptive Sports Foundation sponsored the event. |
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MERCERSBURG, Pa., March 12, 2010 – Matthew Bilancia addresses the slopes like a
man on a mission, cutting and edging his snowboard down the mountain with the
confidence and passion of someone who's been doing it all his life.
But beneath the thick pants and poised facade, the former Air Force senior
airman bears the source of his determination: a scar on his right knee that
reminds him of all the doctors and physicians who once told him, “Walking would
be difficult. Forget about sports and athletics.”
Bilancia was one of four wounded warriors and disabled veterans to participate
yesterday in what is expected to be one of the few remaining days of the winter
sports season at Whitetail Resort here. He and the others came together with the
USO of Metropolitan Washington and the Two Top Mountain Adaptive Sports
Foundation to prove to themselves that rehabilitation is more than pain killers
and doctor recommendations.
“I've been using snowboarding and hand cycling and weight lifting to manage my
pain for the past three years,” Bilancia, a New Jersey native, said. “I think by
using different sports and athletics, it keeps you from being depressed. It
manages my depression and |
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post-traumatic stress. It's great to able to use those things
instead of the medication.” |
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Bilancia shattered his knee in July 2002 when the motorcycle
he was driving was rear-ended by a car. He was stationed
with the Air Force in Tucson, Ariz. Every ligament in his
knee was damaged, and his entire leg eventually became
septic. Doctors began working to save his leg and were
successful, but the results were troubling, to say the
least, he said.
“I didn't think I'd ever be able to snowboard, and the
doctors told me I'd basically have a hard time walking,
[and] that I'd never be able to run or jog,” Bilancia said,
referring to a post-surgery doctor's consultation he
received in 2008. “They said participating in athletics
would be extremely difficult, if not near impossible.” |
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Bilancia still takes some medications, but in smaller doses. He also
spends less time at the doctor's office now than in previous years.
And through adaptive sports, he's cut his annual pain medication
intake by more than half, he said, adding that he hopes to start his
own nonprofit organization one day to teach others to do the same.
“I want to teach people how to use athletics to manage their pain
by endorphin release and flow of adrenaline in their bodies, as
opposed to narcotics,” he explained. “My goal is to help individuals
understand they don't need to rely on the medicines. They don't have
to listen to all the negativity from doctors, saying they'll never
do this or they'll never do that again. It's just a matter of mind
over matter.”
Bill Dietrich, executive director and founder of Two Top Mountain
Adaptive Sports Foundation, echoed Bilancia's philosophy and said he
is humbled by the opportunity to work with wounded military veterans
and individuals with disabilities.
“It's an incredible therapy for these guys, and it's wonderful to
see the enthusiasm they get from being out here,” said Dietrich,
who's been a certified ski instructor here since 1990. “Working with
the wounded warriors I've had a chance to get to know this winter,
all of them bring an incredible amount of determination and will
power and desire to learn. I'm even looking forward to some of them
become instructors themselves.”
Dietrich noted retired Air Force Staff Sgt. Brian Isenhour, who
suffers severe brain damage from an automobile accident in 2004, for
the impact snowboarding has had on his rehabilitation. Isenhour is a
perfect example of how a traumatic event can be overcome through
adaptive sports therapy, Dietrich said. |
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Army Spc. Tonya Jacobs, injured in an on-the-job accident in Kuwait in 2008,
laces up her ski boots for a wounded warrior adaptive sports session March 11,
2010, at Whitetail Ski Resort in Mercersburg, Pa. The USO of Metropolitan
Washington and the Two Top Mountain Adaptive Sports Foundation sponsored the
event. |
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“The first time Brian came out, he could barely walk without assistance,” he
said. “He really had me scratching my head about what he was going to be able to
accomplish. But seven or eight trips later, he's snowboarding, and his friends
tell me that he's happier and more optimistic than they've seen him in a long
time.
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Brian Isenhour, a retired Air Force airman who suffered severe brain
injury after a car accident five years ago, participates in an
adaptive sports session March 11, 2010, at Whitetail Ski Resort in
Mercersburg, Pa. Isenhour has learned to overcome his disabilities
through snowboarding and other adaptive sports |
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“It gives me a lot of satisfaction and pride to be involved in helping people
cope with life-changing circumstances, and it's extremely rewarding to see some
like Brian progress and enjoy life again,” Dietrich continued.
Army Spc. Les Timms, who's currently assigned to a wounded warrior transition
unit at Fort Belvoir, Va., views USO and the Two Top adaptive sports programs a
little differently. He said he believes that all servicemembers, especially
those who've deployed to combat, should take advantage of outings such as this,
which are offered through the USO and installation morale, welfare and
recreation offices.
The Virginia Army National Guardsman described “protecting America and our
homeland” as a stressful job, regardless of being injured or not. Anyone who's
ever served understands the heavy burdens of preserving freedom, he said.
“Skiing helps me rehabilitate mentally just as much as it helps me physically,”
said Timms, who injured his left shoulder in a vehicle rollover accident in
Afghanistan in June. “These programs do help out to get your mind off things,
and I'd recommend this to all soldiers, whether they're hurt or not. It helps to
clear your mind, and it's just a peaceful scenario where you're just having
fun.”
The USO of Metropolitan Washington provides outreach and services to veterans
and their families in Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia. The nonprofit
organization often teams up with others, such as Two Top Mountain Adaptive
Sports Foundation, to connect veterans and their families with services and
opportunities to improve their morale and well being and to show support for
their service to the nation. |
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Article and photos by
Army SFC Michael J. Carden
American Forces Press Service
Copyright 2010
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