Nine surgeries. A knee replacement. Thyroid cancer.
Justin Madore’s doctors said he should forget about riding his beloved motorcycles ever again, after the Kalamazoo soldier was badly injured in Iraq and Afghanistan. His artificial knee would make him topple. He had lost stability.
He sold his bike.
But a Michigan nonprofit had a different idea.
Madore’s buddy, retired Army Sgt. Brad VandenBerg, couldn’t accept that verdict.
VandenBerg started the nonprofit Two Wheels for Warriors in 2012 with the goal of raising funds to create specially designed motorcycles for injured veterans.
After fundraising for two years, VandenBerg worked with Dirty Boyz Motorcycles in Plainwell, Mich., to take a $6,000 “salvage bike” and redesign it for Madore.
The design accommodates his injuries, and includes a sidecar for his service dog Cody, a Labrador retriever and poodle mix that helps him cope with PTSD. The sidecar also stabilizes the bike.
Two Wheels for Warriors is also working with Bob Body, who lost a leg in Iraq. Soon he should be out on the open road just like Madore, who is feeling better about everything now that he has a custom motorcycle.
The new ride “is helping my PTSD tremendously because it’s so relaxing,” Madore says. “When I had a stressful day I’d just hop on the bike and go for a ride and now I can do that again.”
“I got Cody on the side, I look down and he had a smile on his face,” Madore says. “I’m back on a bike again, couldn’t be happier.”
MORE: Meet the Do-Gooders On Two Wheels That Are Helping Vets
Tag: disabled veterans
This Special Volunteer Has Spent More Than 150,000 Miles Behind the Wheel Helping Vets
Small acts can make a big difference. And that’s particularly true when it comes to helping veterans of the armed forces.
Twenty years ago, veteran Jim Childers began volunteering with the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Chapter 16 of Jacksonville, North Carolina, driving veterans to their medical appointments in the organization’s van. His help is essential for those vets whose disabilities or age make it impossible for them to transport themselves.
As of April, Childers has driven that van 157,000 miles in the service of 1,300 vets — chauffeuring them to North Carolina Veterans Affairs hospitals in Durham, Fayetteville, and Chapel Hill. That mileage is the highest accumulated by any DAV volunteer driver in the nation.
“It feels great to help veterans in need,” Childers told Thomas Brennan of the Jacksonville Daily News. “It’s a way for physically able veterans to help other veterans get the services and medical treatment they deserve.”
Retired from his civil service job since 1997, Childers jumped at the chance to transport veterans when he learned that the VA would let him use their van. “The most rewarding thing is when we return back to the chapter and a veteran says thank you for making it possible for them to get to their doctor’s appointment,” he told Brennan.
Doug Lawson, a veteran service officer with the DAV told Brennan, “I think it is in his DNA to help veterans in any way possible, day or night. Because of dedicated drivers like him, it is a lot easier to get all of the veterans to their needed VA appointments. Most veterans get burnt out either physically or mentally working that many hours with no pay. Not Jim.”
Last year, Governor Pat McCrory presented Childers with The Order of the Long Leaf Pine award, which is given to people who’ve provided extraordinary service to the state of North Carolina.
Thankfully, Childers is finally getting the recognition he so richly deserves.
MORE: Remembering a World War II Vet Who Gave 3,000 Fellow Vets a Final Salute
This Woman’s Brother Didn’t Receive the Care He Deserved, So Now She’s Working to Help Other Veterans
One North Carolina woman is proving that sometimes no one can look out for you the way a sister can.
Ciat Shabazz’s brother Harry Smith served in the Marines from 1972 to 1975, and when he came home, he expected for the Veterans Affairs (VA) medical service to help him take care of his health. In 2005, he began to suffer stomach pain and a number of other alarming symptoms. Despite repeated visits to the W.G. Hefner VA Medical Center in Salisbury, North Carolina, doctors didn’t take his concerns seriously and sent him home with painkillers or antibiotics instead of ordering an x-ray or colonoscopy.
Finally in 2006, Shabazz took her brother to Forsyth Medical Center in Winston-Salem, where doctors diagnosed him with a stomach tumor. His health had diminished during the year he didn’t receive treatment, and two years later, he died.
Shabazz turned her grief into a mission by forming the nonprofit Harry’s Veteran Community Outreach Services, through which she helps vets with their battles with the VA in addition to a variety of other services. On the nonprofit’s website is a link to click: “How can Harry help me?”
Shabazz’s office is always buzzing with phone calls and visitors, and her file cabinets overflow with the paperwork that she’s helping veterans complete. Recently, two Vietnam vets whose claims had been denied by the V.A. came to see her for help in filing appeals. “It looks to me that their records clearly indicate that their injuries are service-related,” Shabazz told Scott Sexton of the Winston-Salem Journal. “The appeals process can take up to two years. It looks as if the VA is dealing with its backlog by just denying the claims and moving them into appeals.” Her hunch may be right: In March 2013, the VA reported a backlog of 611,000 cases, according to Sexton.
Shabazz will help these veterans and all the others who come to her as a way of honoring the memory of her brother. “My brother died because the VA failed to diagnose and treat him in a timely manner,” she said. “As a result of that, I’m in pain. I feel the men and women who served this country deserve to be treated fairly and be compensated for injuries sustained during the time they served our country.”
With Ciat Shabazz on their side, many more veterans are likely to get a fair shake.
MORE: Her Husband Fought Overseas. Now She’s Fighting for Him.
These Navy Veterans Are Making an Epic Pilgrimage to Raise Money for Wounded Soldiers
When Austin Shirley of Plano, Texas completed his service with the Navy, he felt at loose ends, unsure about his plan for future and how to reintegrate into civilian life. So he decided to take a year to dedicate himself to helping fellow veterans. He sold all of his possessions, stocked up on gear at REI, and began to walk across the country with his dog Archer to raise money for Wounded Wear, a nonprofit that increases awareness about injured veterans and provides them with clothing adapted to their physical needs, or shirts that just lets passersby know that the wearer was injured while serving the country.
(NationSwell profiled the nonprofit’s founder, Jason Redman, earlier this year.)
Shirley began his journey, which he calls the Chasing the Sun campaign, last October in Jacksonville, Florida. Along the way, he called his friend and fellow Navy vet, Bryan Cochran. Redman told Ryan Van Velzer of AZCentral that Cochran told his friend, “Times are tough. I lost my job and I’m in a veteran’s shelter right now.” So Shirley invited him to join his mission, and they’ve been walking together since Shreveport, Louisiana. The vets’ goal? To raise $50,000 for Wounded Wear. By the time they arrived in Phoenix on April 25, they’d raised about $30,000.
Redman told Van Velzer that the two walkers have been sleeping in a tent along their journey. “Ninety percent of the time they find a spot off the road and they sleep in the tent and they’ll stop at small stores along the way and gather food. Also along the way they meet a lot of amazing, interesting people who offer to buy them food and say, ‘Hey, you can sleep here tonight.’ The generosity of the American people is a pretty amazing thing.”
You can follow the vets’ progress on Facebook, and show some of your own American generosity by donating to their campaign through Crowdrise.
MORE: How Does Running Coast-to-Coast Help Veterans?
Can Riding Tricycles Help These Injured Vets?
Who would have guessed that what some veterans need most is a tricycle? Portage, Mich.-based nonprofit Lest We Forget Our Vets did, and they have been providing disabled veterans with specially designed tricycles to increase their mobility and provide them with a form of exercise that accommodates their physical needs. AMBUCS, a national nonprofit that works to enhance independence in people with disabilities, initially developed the AmTryke as a therapeutic vehicle for children with disabilities, and since has expanded to adult models. The tricycle provides stability that a two-wheeled bike can’t, and each AmTryke can be pedaled either with the feet or hands.
T.W. Lane, director of Lest We Forget Our Vets, told Alex Jokich of NewsChannel 3 that the AmTrykes build strength, increase mobility, and improve self-esteem in veterans who may not have been able to get around much without them. The nonprofit provides AmTrykes to veterans suffering from physical disabilities, PTSD or the after effects of a traumatic brain injury.
Recently Lest We Forget Our Vets brought an AmTryke to Victor Van Fleet, a 95-year-old World War II Veteran, who crashed his two-wheeled bike last year and thought his cycling days were behind him. Van Fleet has been enjoying pedaling in his Kalamazoo community. “It allows you to do things you couldn’t do before,” he told Jokich. “You can observe the sky above and the sunshine and the birds and the trees. You see things that you’ve never seen before on a two-wheeler.”
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These Rocking Bands Are Offering Veterans a Dream Job
Who knew that behind the makeup, leather, wigs, and prominently displayed tongues, the members of KISS have a soft spot for America’s veterans?
Last year, KISS invited veterans to apply to become a roadie for their tour with Motley Crüe. Almost 2,000 vets submitted their names, with the lucky winner being Paul Jordan, who served for 27 years in the Army — including three tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. Possibly putting him ahead of the other applicants? Not only has he been a fan of KISS since he was four years old, but also he sports a tattoo on his chest of Gene Simmons sticking out his seven-inch tongue.
“Since I retired, I’ve had a really hard time trying to find a find a job,” he told the Today Show last year. Now with a year of roadie service under his belt, he said, “I know now that life exists after military service. You just have to find something you’re passionate about and go get it. There is a world of opportunity out there.”
Last year’s program was such a success that KISS is accepting applications for a roadie for this summer’s tour with Def Leppard, as part of an effort to give a couple of veterans the job of a lifetime and raise awareness for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Hiring 500,000 Heroes campaign (a program that works to help military men and women find jobs).
The issue of helping veterans is one that’s close to the heart of Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen. After having his left arm amputated after a 1984 car accident, Allen thought his career was over and he suffered from PTSD, according to BlabberMouth.Net. He learned how to drum again, however, and wanted to reach out to others who’ve undergone amputations. At the USO’s request, he began visiting wounded veterans at the Walter Reed Medical Center and became involved with the Wounded Warrior Project.
“It is our privilege to draw attention to the obligation we all have to the brave men and women who volunteer to risk their own lives to protect the liberties and freedom that we all take for granted,” Paul Stanley of KISS told the Today Show. “We should all jump at any opportunity to provide any assistance needed by our warriors. Heroes deserve jobs!”
KISS and Def Leppard are accepting roadie applications from vets online through May 9. Although only two vets will win a roadie job for this year’s tour, hopefully the example set by these hairspray-loving rockers will inspire others to offer vets a job.
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How Does Running Coast-to-Coast Help Veterans?
If you think your feet are tired at the end of the day, talk to Anna Judd.
Last month, the Orange County, California resident set out on an epic run to help veterans. Her plan? To run 3,200 miles from Venice, California to New York City’s Washington Square Park in an effort to raise money for the Wounded Warrior Project and Team Red, White & Blue. Judd runs 40 miles a day, six days a week, charting her grueling adventure on her website and Facebook page. Along the way, veterans and other supporters run alongside her.
According to Lori Corbin of KABC, Judd raises funds through the Charity Miles app. Corporate sponsors have committed to donating $1 million to the startup, which allows anyone to fundraise for 26 different charities just by signing up and being active. Biking a mile earns 10 cents, while running or walking a mile earns 25 cents. Anyone who exercises can participate in Judd’s fundraising effort by downloading the app and entering in #runamerica to join her running team. You can also use the app to find a map of where Judd is currently running.
Under the direction of her trainer Navy veteran Sean Litzenberger, Judd hopes to finish the run in a hundred days. As she jogs, Judd (who has completed 30 marathons) is constantly refueling with water, chia seed packs, super food shakes, liquid supplements, and coffee with butter. She lives out of an RV and takes breaks when needed. She started out the run barefoot, but was wearing shoes by the time she arrived in cactus-filled Arizona. Still, nobody can accuse this remarkable runner — set to travel on foot through 17 states — of not being tough.
MORE: This Amazing Non-Profit Helps Wounded Vets Rebuild Their Lives
Her Husband Fought Overseas. Now She’s Fighting for Him and All Wounded Vets
When the Army medically retired Capt. Charles Gatlin after he sustained a traumatic brain injury in Iraq in 2006, his wife Ariana Del Negro realized that her family’s fight was just beginning.
In fact, five years later, Gatlin was still suffering many problems in the aftermath of the detonation of a bomb less than twenty yards away from him, including dizziness, severe headaches, hearing loss, and anxiety, all of which left him unable to drive a car. But when he visited Montana’s Fort Harrison VA Medical Center for a complete evaluation, the VA decided to drop his disability rating from 70 percent to 10 percent, cutting his benefits significantly.
Del Negro believed the staff was incompetent at evaluating Gatlin’s complex brain injury, and she filed a complaint against a psychologist she thought was performing tests he wasn’t licensed to give. The Montana State Board of Licensing agreed with Del Negro, and as she told The Missoulian, the psychologist began referring veterans to neurologists for the appropriate tests after she “made enough noise.”
Del Negro continued to make noise, advocating for veterans and pointing it out whenever she felt her husband and others were not receiving the care they’d earned by serving our country. For her tireless efforts, she was named a fellow at the Elizabeth Dole Foundation in March. This organization focuses on helping military families, and named one caregiver from each state as fellows. Del Negro is the representative from Montana because of the improvements her advocacy work has brought about for veterans suffering from TBIs.
“I’m not an 18-year-old private,” Gatlin, who is now a graduate student at the University of Montana, told Eric Newhouse of the Great Falls Tribune. “I’ve got resources that I can bring to bear. But I’m really worried about those guys that don’t have the benefit of an education or other resources. I’ve done my part. I’d like just to go back to school and enjoy it, but that’s not happening. I’ve become an advocate because I want to make the system work not only for myself, but for others.”
Del Negro and Gatlin make an impressive advocacy team, serving on the advisory board for the Montana Brain Injury Center in Missoula. And as long as they are watching out, no veteran in Montana should go without treatment or benefits.
MORE: This Veteran Suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury in Iraq. Now He’s Got a Chance to Win a Medal.
This Organization Knows How to Simultaneously Save Veterans and Dogs
Sometimes all someone needs is a best friend. And that’s exactly how several nonprofits are changing veterans lives — whether it’s by pairing them with service animals or reuniting them with the dogs they befriended in Afghanistan. And now, Canines for Veterans is doing the same for both incarcerated service members and those injured and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The unique program works like this: Program coordinators search for dogs through pet rescue organizations. These animals are then paired with veterans serving time at the Naval Consolidated Brig in Charleston, South Carolina. After completing a service-dog training course, each inmate is assigned a dog, selects a name for it and lives with it, training the animal to perform such tasks as opening a refrigerator or loading a washing machine for a disabled veteran or comforting one suffering from PTSD. After nine to 12 months of training, Canines for Veterans reviews applications from veterans who’d like a service animal, then pairs each dog with the veteran. The veteran then visits Charleston to learn how to work with the dog. Eventually, the pair goes home together.
“The prisoner in some cases has never completed anything (before),” Rick Hairston, president and CEO of Canines for Service told Mike Spencer of the Star News. “They haven’t been able to complete their military service. They’re looking for somebody who wants to give them a chance and this program does it.” He hopes the dog training program provides prisoners with job skills and a sense of accomplishment that will pave the way to a more promising future when they leave the facility.
One prisoner who trains dogs said, “It’s good for me because it helps my time here go by fast and it gives me the feeling of helping someone…They put their lives on the line for us and the only way I can thank them is by training this dog.”
MORE: A Dog Trained By A Prisoner Helps an Autistic Boy Learn to Hug His Mom Again
Canines for Veterans Offers A Second Chance for Vets in Prison
Canines for Veterans Teaches Imprisoned Vets how to Train Service Dogs for Disabled Vets
An Alternate Remedy for Suffering Veterans
For all the healing power that traditional medicine can provide, it doesn’t work for everyone. And for some of those individuals, alternative treatments can be the best medicine.
The Healing Warriors Program offers this to veterans who’ve tried every treatment that traditional medicine offers without success. The Fort Colllins, Colorado-based nonprofit gives five free visits for acupuncture, healing touch, or craniosacral therapy to each veteran who contacts them. If vets want to continue receiving treatment, Healing Warriors offers them at a discounted rate of $30 per session. For many — particularly those plagued with PTSD — the alternative treatments help when nothing else does.
Marine Corps veteran David Sykes has been visiting acupuncturist Abbye Silverstein since August for help with PTSD and a sciatic nerve injury caused by jumping out of helicopters when he was in the service. For years, walking and sitting have been painful. “I was hidden away with my pain and frustration,” Sykes told Sarah Jane Kyle of the Fort Collins Coloradoan. “This has helped me tremendously. I can’t say it will help everybody, but it helps me.”
Sue Walker, the director of the clinic, which is funded by donations, said that 90 different clients have visited Healing Warriors since it opened in last July. “It’s scientific,” she said. “It’s not voodoo. Most anything a veteran experiences on a physical level, acupuncture has been clinically proven to work for.”
Walker’s ultimate goal? To serve as many of those as possible that served our country. With the help of generous donors, she can do just that.
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