Southeastern Chapter member Twila Adams wanted to join the Army, travel, live abroad, and complete college. So she served in the Army from 1980 to 1991, where she was involved in Desert Shield and Desert Storm operations in Kuwait and Iraq. She ended her career as a sergeant, and returned to her hometown of Charlotte, NC, where she started a business providing mobile manicures, pedicures, and Reiki to the sick, elderly, and disabled who were unable to get out.

But three years after she returned home, another driver ran a red light and caused an accident that left Twila a quadriplegic. Initially she was only able to move her mouth and eyes, and her doctors told her she would never walk or care for herself again. She remained determined that she would improve, despite her prognosis.

“My parents raised me to believe the impossible, and that’s what I’ve been doing my whole life. Being told that I couldn’t do something made me more determined to at least try. I knew the hard work was really going to be on me.”

She drew upon her inner strength, her faith, and a supportive circle of friends and family, and put in the hard work necessary to improve. She was skeptical when a recreational therapist introduced her to the National Veterans Wheelchair Games in 2002, but it changed her life. Twila witnessed a wide range of sports available to her, which encouraged her to step out of her comfort zone. She was immediately excited.

“I saw about 600 athletes from all over doing things that I never imagined could be part of my life. I used to say that my accident happened to me; but after getting introduced to the Wheelchair Games, I say it happened for me. It changed my life.”

She was so grateful to find the Wheelchair Games, she became an advocate for PVA and eventually served on the board of the Southeastern PVA in 2008 and 2010.
“When I hear ‘Paralyzed Veterans of America’ I think of I think of progress. Of course I think of the Wheelchair Games, but I also think of policies, advocacy, and legislation. PVA reaches a lot of people and helps them understand that life can be really good regardless of the circumstances they’re living with.”

Twila has attended the Games for years, competing in sports like billiards, trap shooting, field events, bowling, boccia, power lifting, and tennis. In 2002, she was the first woman to win the Sportsmanship Award at the PVA National Trap Shoot Competition. In 2019, she won the prestigious Spirit of the Games Award, given to the athlete who exemplifies the heart and soul of the Games through leadership, encouragement, and a never-give-up attitude.

Today, she can walk briefly by kind of wobbling and dragging her foot. She says she can’t feel a lot, but she has chronic pain from the neck down, as well as intense burning and pain in her hands, legs, and feet. And even with the right attitude, some days are difficult; but she makes the choice to stay in the right frame of mind.
She wants to impact others as a Paralyzed Veterans advocate by sharing hope with those who feel hopeless. She also wants to stay active not only for herself, but so she can inspire others the same way she was inspired at that very first Wheelchair Games. She says that exercise and competing improves her emotions, allowing her to connect with people who know what she is going through and giving them opportunities to support each other.

“I’m reminded that I’m not doing this for me; I’m doing this for someone else. When others see me in my chair, they’ve going back to tell their loved ones about what I can do. If I can inspire the novices and share a little bit of hope, then my injury is not in vain.”

Kate is a warrior. She’s been a wildly inspirational and powerful force throughout her life, even after the 2000 surgical complication from hydrocephalus that left her a paraplegic.

She loved softball. She loved backpacking through Yellowstone. She was a fierce competitor who hunted occasionally and loved being a part of a team.

Kate knew she wanted to join the military when she was in the 4^th grade, as she proudly took a look at her Air Force officer father’s uniform. Because of her dad’s service the family moved around a lot. That made Kate the new kid a lot of times, and she didn’t necessarily enjoy school, but she did enjoy sports, especially softball. And she had a knack for it.

She joined the Air Force right out of high school and transferred to the Army, where she served in the Middle East as a combat medic and then a flight nurse for 18 years. Service and strength has always been a  part of who Kate is.

But when she found herself in a wheelchair, she went through a lot of emotional difficulties coming to terms with her new situation. “I was totally bewildered,”  remembers Kate. “I didn’t understand how this could happen to me; I thought my life was over.”

And then she met recreational therapist Jose Laguna who introduced her to the world of adaptive sports. With Laguna’s encouragement, Kate concentrated on the things she could do rather than what she couldn’t do. This focus allowed her to once again become a strong athlete and competitor in a variety of different events like track and field, that she had not previously been involved in. Says Kate, “I do more now than I did before my injury.”

In fact, just six months after she turned pro, Kate set a new American record throwing discus for the U.S. Paralympic Team at the IPC Athletics World Championships. Since then, she has competed and medaled in numerous athletic events, including the National Veterans Wheelchair Games.

But when it came time to find a job, even an avid athlete like Kate needed some help. That’s when representatives from PVA’s Paving Access for Veterans Employment Program (PAVE) stepped in and helped her find civilian employment.

Kate had a B.A. in Sociology from the University of San Antonio, and a M.A. in Recreation Therapy from Texas State University – San Marcos, but she needed help finding a job. PAVE helped her with her resume and got her hired under a special program for people with disabilities, something she never would have known about were it not for the recruiting assistance.

“Whether you are looking for government work or something in the private sector, PAVE can help you with your resume,” she says. Kate’s recruiter helped her look good on paper and told her about job fairs, open positions, and programs she would never have known about otherwise.

Today Kate gives back to veterans by working at Brooke Army Medical Center as a recreational therapist.
She also served as Secretary of PVA’s Texas chapter, and encourages veterans to take advantage of PVA programs in order to enhance their civilian life. She says it’s fulfilling to help them realize what all is possible in the future.

Kate acknowledges the unique needs of women veterans, and is hoping to bring them together for fellowship and support. She encourages women veterans to reach out to each other. “You are part of the brotherhood, the womanhood, just like you were in the service,” she says. “You still have that camaraderie. You are not alone.”

PVA helped Kate  find freedom and opportunities again after her injury, and she is paying forward that spirit to help other veterans with spinal cord injuries, disorders, or related diseases adjust to their diagnosis and lead fulfilling lives.

Through her service, Kate hopes to teach other paralyzed veterans that “life is waiting for you. It’s not going to come to you; you have to go get it.”

The force of nature known as Ann Adair served in the U.S. Army for fourteen years. She was a reservist in a Civil Affairs Unit that served all over the world during emergencies and war situations.

While on active duty, she fell numerous times, injuring her back and knees. She now relies on a cane, a walker, or a scooter to get around. But that hasn’t slowed her down from being actively involved in her community and with PVA.

After her service, Ann worked for the VA and had just retired when she found a job working with PVA in the Medical Services department. She is a registered nurse, and brought her expertise in neurology and spinal cord issues to PVA for eleven years, until her injuries forced her to resign. She then realized that her injuries qualified her to be a member of PVA. She has been active ever since, most notably with the Colonial Chapter.

Ann is a champion for all of PVA’s advocacy efforts, and the organization’s work in the medical field. She is also enormously grateful for PVA’s help when it comes to her earned benefits – because if it hadn’t been for PVA, she never would have known she was service-connected for her disability.

We talked to Ann about the very unique way PVA works with VA hospitals and SCI/D units to ensure Veterans get the very best care possible, and the important role PVA’s National Service Officers play in the lives of those who have honorably served.

Ann Adair:

On VA Site Visits…

When I first came to PVA, I didn’t realize the very unique way that PVA works with the VA. We go on annual site visits and audit the VA Hospitals.

We always take a physician, a nurse, a member of PVA, and a National Service Officer from the local area who knows the staff. We interview everybody at the hospital, from the directors and chief of staff, to the nursing assistants, the physical therapists, and everyone down to the housekeeping staff.

We would talk to all the inpatients, and if outpatients came in, we’d talk to them as well.

And at the end of the interviews, we come up with recommendations to improve hospital care and address any concerns we have.

And then the hospital responds, and our report goes to the Secretary of the VA, and it often goes to Congress. PVA is the only organization that really does this kind of proactive research into patient care.

We have a positive relationship with the hospital staff and patients because we want them to be successful. We are there to do positive things for patient care – to get equipment for staff, to get pay raises, to keep new employees coming in, and to get the right education for everybody.

On Education…

Speaking of education, everybody in the world can read the publications PVA produces that educate on spinal cord injury.

We produce clinical practice guidelines with experts all over the country in the field of spinal cord medicine, MS, and ALS. Everybody in the world can read these publications, and in fact, when I worked at PVA, I would get calls from Australia, Saudi Arabia, and all over who wanted us to send them our CPGs. They are significant for every practitioner.

If it weren’t for the research and education that PVA has funded since it was organized in 1946, some patients would never get out of the hospital. There have been amazing improvements in medicine that have allowed people with spinal cord injuries and diseases to get out and about.

On National Service Officers …

One of the things I found astounding when I worked at PVA is that we would teach this knowledge of neurological issues to our National Service Officers. They get extensive training in medical knowledge and benefits; I don’t know if any other veterans service organization does that.

Our service officers build great relationships with the hospitals, and PVA is fortunate that in many cases, we have offices right there in the hospital, very close to the Spinal Cord Injury Center. Some of our chapters are located in the hospital as well. We have really open communication and a great relationship with our colleagues in health care.

PVA’s service officers check on Veterans once a year to see where they are in their injury, and if they qualify for a change in service connection and additional benefits. You don’t have to be a member of PVA to get help from an NSO. I always recommend people go talk to a PVA officer when they need assistance.

PVA has been wonderful for me, personally. PVA has taught me so much about my own injury, and about other people’s injuries. They support research at various universities into spinal cord medicine, and mobility accessories. And they have worked to get state and federal laws passed to make accessibility much easier for everyone with a disability.

I always reach out to other Veterans and tell them to use PVA as a resource. We have absolutely wonderful service officers who can assist Veterans in a variety of ways.

I’m just really pleased I had the opportunity to work for PVA because it opened up a lot of things for me.

When Marine Corps Veteran Todd Kemery was injured during a surfing accident at just 21 years old, he assumed things would go back to normal when he got out of the hospital. 

“I didn’t realize the seriousness of my injury until my father walked through the door of my hospital room,” Todd said. “I couldn’t figure out what he was doing in California from Pennsylvania. That’s when the cold reality dawned on me that this wasn’t going away.” 

Now a quadriplegic, Todd was discharged from the McGuire VA Medical Center in Richmond, Virginia, after six months and then spent a year floundering at home. His lack of personal goals drove him into a deep depression. 

Then, Todd had a visitor: a friend he had met at the VA Medical Center. This friend was also a quadriplegic, but he was able to drive a car and travel independently.  

“I thought to myself, ‘If he can drive and be independent, then I can certainly start moving forward,’” Todd said. “So, I decided to go to college to start the process of moving on and creating new goals for myself.” 

After earning a degree in business management and moving to Minnesota, Todd was recruited to be a sports director for Paralyzed Veterans of America.  

In his new role, Todd had to face a new challenge: air travel. 

“The [National Veterans Wheelchair Games, co-hosted annually by PVA and the Department of Veterans Affairs] are in a different location every year, which means you get to travel. Learning to travel with confidence is an important step when you’re first injured,” Todd said. “One of the biggest hurdles for me was the stress of figuring out how to get from point A to point B in a wheelchair. What if something bad happens while I’m in a new destination? How am I going to deal with it?” 

Todd’s first experiences traveling after his injury were certainly eye-opening. He quickly realized how unprepared airlines seemed to transport someone with disabilities like his. 

“I’ve been traveling in a wheelchair or flying in a wheelchair since even before the Air Carrier Access Act,” Todd said. “During my first plane ride, they put a blanket underneath me because they assumed that I was going to pee or poop myself.” 

“Then when I got to my destination out at Lancaster, California, they took me off the plane by a forklift and a pallet. They pulled that thing up, raised it up and I was the last off the plane,” Todd said. “I was sitting there looking around and thinking, ‘Hey, I’m the center of attention, yay!’ But later you start to think, ‘Wait, what are the dynamics of all of that? What’s really being said here?’” 

Over 35 years ago, President Ronald Reagan signed the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) into law. The ACAA prohibits discrimination based on disability in air travel. Despite progress, too many travelers with disabilities still encounter significant barriers, such as damaged assistive devices, delayed assistance, and lack of seating accommodations. 

PVA recently conducted a survey of its members to gather information to inform the fight to improve the Air Carrier Access Act and make air travel better for all people with disabilities. From October 4-December 6, 2021, over 1,260 individuals responded to the survey. 

Survey Results Highlights: 

• Nearly 84 percent of passengers with disabilities who DO fly, travel by air at least two times a year with many indicating they would fly much more often if disability access was improved. 
• More than 63 percent of survey respondents indicated the need to use an aisle chair, with many citing such chairs were unsafe, in poor condition, and not readily available. 
• Of those who travel with a wheelchair or scooter, almost 70 percent reported damage to the device. Almost 56 percent experienced delays. 
• 67 percent of passengers with disabilities wait 15 minutes or more for help upon arrival to their destination. 

Todd remains heavily involved in PVA’s work, both in adaptive sports and advocacy. In all his years traveling in a wheelchair, he’s seen some improvement and plenty of discussion on how to change air travel to better serve those with disabilities. But he worries that progress will be too slow if we strive for perfection when improvements could be made now. 

“They’re now leapfrogging over improving the aisle chairs, and they’re actually talking about people staying in their wheelchair and removing a section of seating out of the plane so you can get tied down right there. Which is great, but how long are we going to wait for that?” Todd asked. “Let’s fix the aisle chair, so I don’t have a skin breakdown and I don’t fall over. And get airline staff the training that goes along with that.” 

Todd believes that accessible air travel is more than a legal requirement (thanks to the ACAA), but also a fundamental necessity for the physical and mental recovery of injured Veterans like himself. He wants to see more people in wheelchairs able to travel and gain their independence. 

“Part of what I try to instill in people is the value of giving yourself new experiences,” Todd said. “If all you can do is get on a bus or drive yourself to the mall, you should at least be doing that. If you’re able to challenge yourself further, then do that.  

“When you get outside of your comfort zone, you begin to learn and experience new things, and that develops confidence and stamina.” 

Learn more about PVA’s work improving air travel and the Air Carrier Access Act here. 

Sign the petition to pass the Air Carrier Access Amendments Act here. 

When he was just 22 years old, U.S. Coast Guard Veteran and PVA member Kaleb took a $100 bet that changed his life.

Friends dared him to jump off a pier. He was young and he figured he’d do it – it’s $100, right?  Kaleb dove in headfirst, but hit the bottom, shattering several vertebrae. Instead of celebrating his win, he found himself in a New Orleans Trauma Center, paralyzed.

With his sweetheart Brittany by his side, he fought tooth and nail with one goal in mind: he wanted to walk down the aisle with Brittany. She had been there for him during his recovery and rehab, and now he made it his mission to be there for her, standing across from her at the altar, and dancing on their wedding day. With a lot of love, support, and hard work, he was able to. That’s Kaleb’s resolute spirit.

Kaleb had been interested in joining the military ever since he was a little boy. He was a swimmer in high school, and started looking into programs with the Navy and the Air Force. But it was the Coast Guard that caught his attention. He was drawn to rescue swimming. “I knew it was where I needed to be,” he says.

He was a part of the Coast Guard for three years. After he graduated from boot camp he was assigned to a station in New Orleans, where he worked doing search and rescue missions, intercepting drug shipments, escorting vessels into the Gulf, and patrolling rivers and lakes. He loved his job, and he enjoyed the culture in New Orleans. He was a young man enjoying his career, living in a lively city, in love with a beautiful girl. Kaleb was on the list to go to “A” school in November of 2012 when he took that fateful dare that landed him in a wheelchair.

Becoming paralyzed presents a whole host of challenges, of course, not just for the injured, but for those closest to them. Kaleb and Brittany had to work together with trust and focus in order to adjust to their new normal. They relied on each other, and became stronger together. He proposed in 2013; they married in 2014, both of them standing for the ceremony.

They also relied on Paralyzed Veterans of America. During rehab and recovery, PVA helped Kaleb with benefits information, and later on, with vocational rehab benefits allowing him to return to school to pursue a chemical engineering degree. He was inspired to join PVA’s Mountain States chapter, serving on the Board and as Treasurer.

Volunteering and helping out other Veterans is important to him. “It’s not just money that keeps these programs running, it’s volunteers, too. I don’t want to be somebody who just takes, takes, takes. I want to give back.”

He also participates in adaptive sports, competing at the National Veterans Wheelchair Games in swimming, rugby, and field events. He loves the camaraderie of the Games, saying, “It’s nice to be around people who are in a similar situation as I am, who understand what you are going through. “Brittany loves it, too, because she gets to socialize with other wives who know what we’re dealing with, and we get to come together with friends who live around the country.”

Kaleb and Brittany have since moved to Illinois and transferred to PVA’s Vaughan chapter. He is a loving and happy husband, and delighted father of three little girls with another baby on the way. He remains active with volunteering and wheelchair rugby, and hopes to make Team USA.

He is also a proud Veteran of the United States Coast Guard.

“My injury ended my time actively serving in the Coast Guard, but that did not take away the fact that I still am a Coastie. I still feel at home around my fellow Coasties; I still feel connected in the way I always have. I may not serve beside them anymore, but I will always be a part of them!”

“I tell the newly diagnosed to reach out to PVA to have them help them process [their paperwork] through the VA. If you don’t, it just takes so long and some Veterans don’t have that long.”

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Roger joined the U.S. Marine Corps straight out of high school. It was always his dream to serve his country and see the world. Between active duty and reserve, he served for 28 years, starting out as a field radio operator and finishing at the Marine Forces Cyberspace Command.

His time in the military ended when he was medically retired after being diagnosed with ALS. His bicep was tensing up in the night as he tried to sleep, prompting a physician to send him to a neurologist at Walter Reed. That is where he ultimately received his diagnosis – though doctors took their time giving it to him, trying to rule out everything else first. Roger was persistent.

“I think it helped that I was a master gunnery sergeant and I didn’t take no for an answer. [I told the doctor], ‘I’ve been dealing with death since I was 19 years old. I’ve taken Marines to combat four times. I don’t like to be dragged along. I’d rather know what I’m dealing with than not know.’”

While attending a National ALS convention in D.C. just after his discharge, Roger met other Veterans who told him about PVA, and he connected with PVA staff who got his VA paperwork processed within three days. He also became a member of the Mid-Atlantic chapter and is an active ALS advocate with various organizations.

“There’s so much help that a Veteran gets from PVA – whether it’s getting them services at the VA; getting their cases looked at; helping them when they are in need of a wheelchair; learning how to adapt being in that wheelchair; or getting them in contact with other people that have gone what they’re going through now.”

Now eight years into his diagnosis, Roger acknowledges that he is beating the usual odds. “I was supposed to die. 80% [of those diagnosed] die within 2-5 years.” He understands the emotional toll on his wife and two children, but is committed to removing stress from his life, while maintaining a positive mental attitude and possessing a strong belief in God. 

And, he is engaged with every aspect of his disease and is on a mission to gain knowledge and make things easier for himself, his family, his fellow Veterans, and the ALS community as a whole.

“I went numerous times to talk with my representatives about increasing the amount of money for the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDRMP) funding. It’s up to $40,000,000 now and we want it to keep on going up to more. No drug cures [ALS], but more money has been put into research, and eventually we’re going to find a cure and we’re going to find out what causes it; but it’s going to take time.”

Roger’s outreach has helped him connect with other Veterans with ALS, giving them an opportunity to share experiences and advice, even if their physical journeys are not exactly the same. 

“I just like to help because I’m retired. When I was diagnosed with ALS, there was so much out there on the internet, but most of it was false. I got in contact with other Veterans that already went through what I was going through. It helped out. They can’t say exactly what’s going to happen to me, but they can say what they went through and how they dealt with it.”

Roger is still able to walk and talk and “do most of the things I want to do,” but he knows his disease will eventually progress further, prompting him to prepare for the future. He’s already had his home adapted so that when he is in a wheelchair full time, he will be able to live there comfortably.

But financially, ALS takes a huge toll. New medications alone can cost upwards of $150,000 a year, and a patient won’t know if the treatments work until they try them.  And that is just part of it. “We call it the broke disease because most people go broke taking care of it. If you’re married, you progress and can’t take care of yourself, so your spouse has to give up their job to take care of you. Then there is no money coming in, but you still have all these bills. Once you go on a ventilator and trach, and you have to do a feeding tube, so much expenses, but no income coming in. It’s devastating.”

Roger wants everyone with an ALS diagnosis to take an individualized approach and do what is right for them. “Everybody is progressing differently. Try everything for yourself. Don’t listen to anybody saying, ‘This doesn’t work or this doesn’t work.’ If it didn’t work for them doesn’t mean it’s not going to work for you.”

He has found that, “There are so many brave people fighting ALS.” 

And it’s clear that Roger is one of them.

“When we give MS the attention that it deserves, it helps us expand the research and quality of life for Veterans and others with MS, and helps with their access to care.” Shayna G., U.S. Army Veteran, PVA Great Plains Chapter

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Shayna was on a routine morning run in Monterey, California, when her life took an unexpected turn. The Nebraska native and National Guard soldier was training at the Defense Language Institute (DLI) when she suddenly couldn’t lift her right leg. “It didn’t hurt. I didn’t twist it, I didn’t do anything,” she recalled. “I just couldn’t lift my leg.”

That moment marked the beginning of a long journey toward a diagnosis that would change her life: multiple sclerosis (MS). What followed was a year and a half of medical appointments, tests, and uncertainty. “They did a million different tests,” Shayna said. “A few of them, in hindsight, were indicative of what was going on, but they dismissed a lot of the results because I was 23, 24. They said, ‘You’re too young for any of this to matter.'”

The Army ultimately separated her in 2008, citing degenerative arthritis in her hip—the best explanation they could offer at the time. But her symptoms persisted. It wasn’t until she was living in Korea with her husband, stationed there, that she finally received her MS diagnosis. A neurologist, determined to get answers, pushed for the necessary tests. “He said, ‘Let’s start with the biggest stuff and work our way down,'” Shayna explained. “He diagnosed me on his last day on base, after a year of testing.”

For Shayna, the diagnosis was just the beginning. MS, a disease that affects the central nervous system, is unpredictable. Some days, she felt fine. Other days, her symptoms would flare up unexpectedly. “It really is the transient properties of it,” she said. “You need a crystal ball to know what’s going to happen.”

Despite the challenges, Shayna considers herself fortunate. She credits early detection and aggressive treatment with allowing her to maintain her mobility. “My neurologist told me early on, ‘By the time you’ve hit five years, you can pretty much guarantee you will have spent some time in a wheelchair,'” she recalled. “I’m at 13 years now, and while I have a wheelchair, I’ve never had to use it.”

Treatment options for MS have expanded significantly since her diagnosis. “When I was first diagnosed, there were only five treatment options. A few years ago, there were 15. Now, there are over 30,” Shayna said. Finding the right medication is often a process of trial and error, and some treatments come with heavy side effects. “One medication increased my risk of cancer by 10%,” she noted. “It’s a serious balancing act.”

Through it all, Shayna has found support in Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA). She was introduced to the organization by a National Service Officer during a routine VA appointment. “I didn’t even know what PVA was at the time,” she admitted. “But he explained it, told me I was eligible, and that was it—I signed up on the spot.”
Since then, PVA has played a vital role in her life. Initially, it helped her navigate her VA benefits, increasing her disability rating from 30% to 70%, and eventually to 100%. But beyond benefits, it provided a sense of community and purpose. “I really am involved in everything they do,” she said. “I don’t golf, but other than that, I try to participate in as much as I can.”

As a board member of PVA’s Great Plains Chapter, Shayna is focused on making events more accessible for members who don’t use wheelchairs. “So many PVA events are focused on wheelchair sports, and that’s fantastic,” she said. “But MS is unpredictable. Some days I can walk fine, other days I can’t. I want to make sure that no one feels like they don’t belong.”

She also serves as her chapter’s point of contact for women Veterans and members with MS, working to ensure that everyone feels included. “Our board is great about asking, ‘What do our women Veterans need? What can we do for them?'” she said. “I’ve never felt like I was treated differently as a woman Veteran, which I think is phenomenal.”
Shayna’s involvement with PVA extends beyond her chapter. She recently attended the Women Veterans Empowerment Retreat (WVER), where she connected with other women in PVA and shared ideas for increasing engagement. “There are some feisty women in that group, and I love them,” she said, laughing. “One of the older Veterans told us, ‘There’s only so much you can do with honey. Sometimes you have to put your foot down and tell them: I’m not asking, I’m telling.’”

For Shayna, advocacy is not just a responsibility—it’s a passion. Every May, she travels to Washington, D.C., to advocate for Veterans’ rights. “Right now, I have the mobility and energy to travel easily, but I understand the struggles my fellow PVA members face,” she said. “I want to make sure their voices are heard.”

Despite the unpredictability of MS, Shayna remains optimistic. She continues working full-time for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and dedicates much of her free time to PVA. “If I ever have to retire early because of my MS, I already know where I’m going to spend my time,” she said. “I know that I’ll be needed and valued, and that’s incredibly reassuring.”

For Shayna, PVA isn’t just an organization—it’s a lifeline. “I love being involved,” she said. “If I could do it all day, every day, I would. And honestly, I already do.”

When Cameron signed up for his first National Veterans Wheelchair Games in 2025, he was unsure what to expect. But he surprised himself when he earned the high score of the day in his archery event, taking home a gold medal.

“I’m still pumped about it,” said the 59-year-old member of PVA’s Northwest chapter in Washington state, who scored 284 out of a possible 300 points. He also won gold medals in the air rifle and air pistol events.

Four years ago, while working at his civilian job, Cameron sustained a spinal cord injury when he fell out of a helicopter he was repairing. His recreational therapist at the Seattle VA encouraged him to consider competing in the 2025 Games.

He was hesitant at first, but enjoyed the experience so much he now wants to compete in adaptive archery locally. A Paralympian he met at the Games convinced him he has a future with the sport.

“I told my wife, ‘Guess what this means? I’m going to have to go out and spend some money on a bow’,” he said.

Cameron, a U.S. Marine Corps Veteran, is one of 179 first-time athletes who participated in the 2025 National Wheelchair Games. Nearly a third of the athletes in this year’s Games are novices.

Another novice is Amy Dotson, 48, a U.S. Air Force Veteran from Georgia. She participated in adaptive sports years ago and loved it but never signed up for the Wheelchair Games until now. Dotson, who has MS, said Veterans she met through an MS Facebook group encouraged her to compete.

“I’ve been watching their journey and seeing them come to the games every year. I’m like, ‘One of these years, I’m gonna make it’,” said Dotson, who competed in basketball and softball. “Hopefully I run into them and can actually meet them in person.”

First-time athlete Jeremy Wayne Trammell Jr., 21, a Navy Veteran, was paralyzed and sustained a traumatic brain injury in a motorcycle crash. He said he was competing in the Games to show his younger brother, who has a rare disease, what is possible.

“He really looks up to me,” said Trammell, who came to the Games with his mother, Maria Trammell, and members of PVA’s Buckeye chapter. “He sees me and he’s like, ‘If he can do it, I can do it’.”

When Le’Toi first competed at the National Veterans Wheelchair Games in Utah in 2016, she was among just a handful of women athletes.

Although she enjoyed the experience, she said it was often difficult to feel seen at an event dominated by hundreds of male competitors, and there were few opportunities for the women to connect.

This year, a record 80 women signed up to compete at the 2025 Games in Minneapolis – an emotional milestone for athletes like Le’Toi. She attributes much of that growth to initiatives like the NVWG Women Athletes Meetup, a networking event held Friday, July 18, that drew more than 50 women together for food, fellowship and mentorship.

“I didn’t feel the women’s presence when I first got here [in 2016]. I felt the vibe and the family bond, but not the women’s presence,” said Le’Toi, a U.S. Army Veteran, wheelchair basketball gold medalist and former NVWG Spirit of the Games winner. “To see all of the women who showed up to this, it really brings tears to my eyes. I love it.”

Paralyzed Veterans of America launched the women’s meetup four years ago in partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs. It was designed to offer a safe, supportive place where women athletes can share stories, build friendships and connect across generations and experiences, said Jennifer Massey, PVA’s associate director of research and education.

This year’s keynote speaker, Paralympian Sarah Adam, said women athletes have a responsibility to share the power of adaptive sports with other women, especially those newly diagnosed with a disability.

Adam, who made history in 2024 as the first woman named to the U.S. Paralympic Wheelchair Rugby Team, said adaptive sports is about far more than building physical strength

After serving in Iraq in the U.S. Marine Corps, Paul built a successful civilian career in critical infrastructure security. Starting as a wire puller for a small company, he rose through the ranks to become a project leader at a global tech firm, developing high-stakes security systems for nuclear facilities around the world.

Now, he’s about to add another title to his resume: business owner.

When a car slammed into the back of his motorcycle in 2021, leaving him paralyzed, Paul’s career trajectory came to a sudden halt — but the setback was only temporary.

“There are some people where it’s almost like they just need a good kick in the butt to shift it into high gear,” says Paul, a T8 complete paraplegic who lives in Dallas. “I felt like that’s what happened to me.”

Initially, doctors told him he would be the functional equivalent of a quadriplegic because of the extent of the damage to his arms.

But after a dozen surgeries and months of intensive rehab, Paul defied expectations and regained strength and mobility in his upper body.

The journey wasn’t easy. He faced a long recovery, his career was on hold, and he moved out of his home after the collapse of his 15-year marriage.

Some people encouraged him to stop working and collect Social Security. But that was never an option for Paul.

“I wanted to keep going,” he says.

He shifted into a new role leading business strategy at his current company, which allowed him to work from home and cut back on travel. He also went back to school, earning a master’s degree in innovation and entrepreneurship from the University of Texas-Dallas. He’s now pursuing a second master’s in business administration.

Recently engaged and focused on the next chapter of his professional life, Paul is well on his way to becoming his own boss, thanks in part to PVA’s Self-Employment Program.

The 10-week course, offered through PVA’s Veterans Career Program, is open to PVA Members, spouses, and their adult children. The program provided Paul with the resources and connections he needed to transform a fledgling idea — buying into a national battery franchise — into a solid business plan.

He says he initially considered buying into a pizza chain, but pivoted to batteries after learning the owner of two battery stores in the Dallas-Fort Worth area was looking to retire.

“I met with him and we hit it off immediately,” Paul recalls. “He told me the numbers and I was like, ‘This sounds amazing’.” They struck a verbal agreement that same day.

Through PVA’s program, Paul refined his business plan, networked with bankers and lawyers, and pitched his idea to private industry PVA supporters — who rate pitches and provide feedback — during the program’s capstone pitch night. He was one of two winners of a $2,500 grant provided by Wells Fargo to help cover startup costs.

With funding in hand, Paul hopes to expand the stores’ business model from traditional retail to include commercial and government sales.

The grant will help him attend an upcoming facilities management trade show to build relationships with potential customers across the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Although he’s already achieved career success, Paul says owning a business will bring him purpose on his own terms.

“People underestimate you as a paraplegic. Most people are surprised when I tell them I still work,” he says. “But I’m just as capable as anybody else. I can make this happen.”

He also hopes to pay it forward by hiring and training others who “just need someone to believe in them.”

“If you’d asked me four years ago what the future looked like, I would have said I don’t know if there’s going to be much of a future for me,” he adds. “But four years makes a big difference. You’ve just gotta keep pushing forward, and eventually it’ll pay off.”

PVA’s Veterans Career Program is open to all Veterans, spouses, and adult children, regardless of disability status. If you or someone you know is interested in enrolling in PVA’s Veterans Career Program, please reach out to VeteransCareerProgram@pva.org.

When Joel’s father, a U.S. Marine Corps Veteran, was diagnosed with ALS in 2022, it shifted the teenager’s outlook on life and health.

“It taught me the importance of living life to the fullest and staying strong,” says Joel, 19, who lives in Minnesota. Though he’d been hitting the gym since playing football in elementary school, he began to see health and fitness not just as a hobby, but as a possible career path.

After high school, Joel took a part-time warehouse job and started coursework to become a certified personal trainer. But he wasn’t sure how to turn his passion into a profitable business.

“There’s only so much you can Google,” he says. “I needed to talk to people who had business experience.”

He found that guidance through Paralyzed Veterans of America’s 10-week Self Employment Program, which is open to PVA Members, spouses, and their adult children. His instructor – and the small group of classmates he met on the weekly Zoom calls – quickly became a trusted sounding board.

With their help, Joel developed a plan to launch a personal training business that focuses on both mind and body and emphasizes lasting results. He envisions offering one-on-one coaching, small group classes, online programs, nutrition guidance, and goal tracking. He aims to create a space, he says, “where people feel seen, challenged and empowered.”

Program participants have an opportunity to participate in a pitch night at the end of the course, where they present their ideas to private industry supporters of PVA, who review and rate pitches. Joel was one of two aspiring entrepreneurs who received a $2,500 startup grant from Wells Fargo after successfully pitching their plans.

With the funding boost and a clearer vision, Joel is now fine-tuning his business model, working on a website, and looking to attract clients through free trials and relationships with local gyms.

PVA’s program, he adds, gave him the jumpstart he needed.

“Before, I was just walking blind, hoping that what I was doing was right,” he says. “Now I feel more confident in what I’m doing. My steps feel more intentional.”

PVA’s Veterans Career Program is open to all Veterans, spouses, and adult children, regardless of disability status. If you or someone you know is interested in enrolling in PVA’s Veterans Career Program, please reach out to VeteransCareerProgram@pva.org.

Every day in Fallbrook, California, Jhoonar Barerra follows a routine that keeps him moving forward. The 49-year-old Army veteran lifts weights, stretches on the floor, and prepares for his next wheelchair basketball practice. It is a far cry from where his story could have ended 18 years ago.

Barerra served from 1999 to 2007 as a section sergeant for an infantry mortar team with the 2nd Airborne Division in North Carolina. Six months after leaving the military, his life changed when a commercial appliance fell off a forklift and hit him, injuring his spinal cord and leaving him paralyzed.

No Limits in Sight

“The only limitations are the ones you believe,” Barerra said, reflecting on his journey. “Stay mentally strong, because life could always be worse.”

That philosophy has carried him through nearly two decades of rebuilding his life, one workout at a time. While a member of the San Diego Wolfpack wheelchair basketball team, he discovered the Paralyzed Veterans of America and joined its CalDiego chapter in 2010. Wheelchair basketball has since become more than a sport for Barerra.

“Wheelchair basketball is one of my passions in life since being injured in 2007,” he said.

Maintaining the physical conditioning required to play competitively pushed him to develop a comprehensive fitness routine throughout the week, balancing team practices with individual strength training.

Now, Barerra and veterans like him have a new resource to support their fitness journeys. On January 12, PVA launched its first Online Fitness + Wellness Program, a free, virtual adaptive fitness initiative powered by Warrior Strong.

Founded by veterans, Warrior Strong is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the physical and mental well-being of veterans, servicemembers, and first responders through accessible fitness and wellness programs.

The initiative serves veterans with spinal cord injuries and conditions, including multiple sclerosis and ALS, as well as those who care for them. Members can participate in as many as nine classes each week that emphasize building strength, improving endurance and developing hand-eye coordination. The program extends beyond physical exercise to incorporate meditation and breathwork practices aimed at alleviating stress and promoting mental well-being.

“By removing accessibility barriers to fitness and wellness and meeting veterans where they are in their fitness and wellness journey, we are not only helping to improve mental and physical fitness, but we are also cultivating a community of mutual support and connection,” said Fabio Villarroel, PVA Senior Director of Sports and Recreation.

Gaining Mental, Physical Strength

For Barerra, who recently joined the program, the benefits extend beyond the structured workouts. “The Online Fitness + Wellness Program has given me a sense of purpose to better myself and others,” he said.

His favorite aspect is the quick, structured exercises led by highly motivated instructors who understand the unique challenges veterans face.

One of those adaptive fitness instructors is Kenneth Keitt, a Marine Corps veteran who served from 2007 to 2011 and now works as an adaptive fitness instructor with Warrior Strong.

Keitt joined the Marine Corps shortly after graduating high school and served as a combat engineer. After returning from a deployment to Iraq, he was involved in a serious car accident in 2011 that left him paralyzed.

“For me, fitness stopped being about performance and started being about independence,” he said. “It was about being able to live my life — transferring independently, pushing my wheelchair up a hill, and having the endurance to get through the day.”

Keitt initially joined Warrior Strong as a participant, looking for a way to stay active and manage the daily challenges that come with a life-changing injury. Over time, he earned certifications through the organization and began leading classes himself.

Barerra said that the physical benefits of working out regularly include having more energy to take on the world. That increased energy translates directly into his daily life, helping him tackle household tasks and maintain his independence.

“When I started exercising, I felt stronger physically and mentally,” he said.

Keitt sees those same functional gains reflected in the veterans he works with each week.

“A lot of people think fitness is about aesthetics,” Keitt said. “For the people we serve, it is about quality of life. The stronger you are physically and mentally, the more independent you become.”

Building Strength Through Community

But perhaps most importantly, the program has reinforced what Barerra already knew: the power of community.

“Luckily, I’ve built a community of friends who motivate and push me to be a better version of myself,” he said. “The veterans, therapists, and trainers play a huge role in the community. They are the foundation for recovery.”

Keitt said that sense of community is intentional and central to Warrior Strong’s approach.

“Community is the glue,” he said. “People come for the workout, but they stay because they feel like they belong.”

Tom Tice, CEO and Founder of Warrior Strong, understands this connection deeply. “At Warrior Strong, we are dedicated to helping veterans reconnect with their physical, mental, and emotional strength,” Vice said. “Working with PVA allows us to expand that mission even further, by ensuring that every veteran, no matter their mobility level, has access to the tools and community they need to thrive.”

The partnership between these two organizations exemplifies this mission in action. Veterans can participate in online classes from anywhere in the country or drop in at the Warrior Strong facility in Scranton, Pennsylvania, for in-person sessions.

Barerra’s participation in the program has sparked a new ambition: becoming an instructor himself.

“The desire now is to better myself. The goal is to be an instructor and help advocate for fitness,” he said.

He is already prepared to share advice with other veterans facing mobility limitations who might be hesitant to begin their fitness journey. Having lived through the challenges himself, his message is simple but powerful: believe in what is possible, stay mentally strong, and lean on your community.

Keitt hopes the partnership between PVA and Warrior Strong continues to grow, expanding access to adaptive fitness while maintaining the community-centered focus that makes the program effective.

“Everyone was active at some point in their life,” he said. “Our goal is to help veterans reconnect with that and feel like the best version of themselves again.”

Veterans and caregivers interested in the PVA Online Fitness + Wellness Program can view the full class schedule and register here. The program is free and designed to meet participants wherever they are in their wellness journeys, offering both the tools for physical transformation and the community support that makes lasting change possible.

Shana Milan knows what it’s like to wake up feeling uncertain. Some mornings, she’s ready to tackle her to-do list. Other days, chronic pain from several disabilities including migraines, multiple sclerosis, neuropathy, and spinal stenosis keeps her in bed.

The unpredictability ended her ability to work a traditional job and sent her into a deep depression. But it didn’t end her ambition.

Milan, who spent seven years in the Air Force, including three as a basic training instructor at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, refused to let her disabilities define her limits. If a 9-to-5 schedule wouldn’t work for her body, she’d create something that would: her own business, on her own terms.

The question was how. She had management skills honed in the military, working across everything from personnel to security police. She had determination. What she didn’t have was a roadmap for turning those assets into entrepreneurship while also navigating the daily realities of chronic illnesses.

That’s where Paralyzed Veterans of America’s Self-Employment Program came in.

Finding Hope in Community

Milan became a PVA member in August 2025. Two weeks later, she learned PVA was launching a 10-week Self-Employment Program for disabled veterans interested in starting a business. Milan had already been preparing. She’d paid for online courses about salon suites—her dream business concept—and was finishing them up just as PVA’s program announcement landed in her inbox.

“It just naturally flowed perfectly,” she said.

Nine veterans gathered for the sessions, each carrying different dreams at different stages. Some had rough ideas on paper, and others spent years developing their concepts. Milan was the only one planning a brick-and-mortar business.

“Just seeing so many people in the same situation and seeing how encouraged they were to do more—that just made me feel good,” Milan said. “I think that was number one.”

The diversity became an unexpected strength. Watching others navigate online businesses and product sales pushed Milan to think bigger about her own venture.

“I started out thinking only brick and mortar,” she said. “But as I went through the class, I realized I need to be online, I need to raise capital.” The program didn’t just teach business principles; it also expanded what she believed was possible.

Eight Weeks of Foundation, Two Weeks of Execution

Genia Hachenberg, director of PVA’s Veterans Career Program, along with expert mentors, guided the group through eight structured sessions covering business fundamentals, financial planning, and marketing. The final two weeks focused on developing business plans and presentations.

What set the program apart was its depth.

“It wasn’t just a surface project,” Milan said. “They really took their time to understand what we wanted to do and give us guidance, make sure we were going down the right path, helping us determine the right changes we needed to make.”

The program culminated in Pitch Night, where participants presented their business plans to reviewers. The stakes: Self-Employment Program startup grants of $2,500 for the winners. The grants, made possible with support from Wells Fargo, help recipients test their business ideas and offset some of the costs of starting a business.

When Milan heard her name called, emotion overwhelmed her.

“I was shocked. Blessed,” she said. “It felt like a great accomplishment.”

The Vision: Your Salon Suites by Milan

Milan’s business concept targets a specific need in the beauty industry. Independent stylists, nail technicians, and estheticians often face a difficult choice: work for someone else or invest heavily in opening their own salon.

Your Salon Suites by Milan offer a middle path. Beauty professionals rent individual suites within a larger facility, gaining independence without the crushing overhead of a standalone location.

“You’re giving them the opportunity to have their own business,” Milan explains. “It’s their suite, they set up their clientele, they can establish the products they want to sell—everything is theirs to do.”

For Milan, the model aligned perfectly with her military roles as a personnel specialist and training instructor. Each role built management skills she could deploy without needing to be a cosmetologist herself.

The business also accommodates her health constraints. Unlike running a traditional salon requiring daily onsite presence, salon suites can be managed remotely when chronic pain makes leaving home impossible.

From Plan to Reality

Milan approaches her business with the same methodical planning she learned in the military. Before writing her business plan, she researched locations in the Atlanta area and investigated construction costs for different scenarios, including comparing new builds to conversions of existing spaces.

The biggest obstacle remains capital. Opening a brick-and-mortar location requires significant upfront investments that include construction costs, permits, furniture, and equipment for multiple suites.

Milan’s solution combines patience with parallel progress. She launched Milan Essentials, an online store selling beauty and lifestyle products. The e-commerce venture serves dual purposes: establishing the Milan brand online while also generating revenue to support a future business loan application.

“I think the biggest challenge is not getting too overwhelmed by that, and breaking it down into chunks,” she said. “Even though I put myself on a timeline, it’s okay to adjust that.”

She’s working through her to-do list systematically: community questionnaires to assess local needs, beauty industry expos to attend, grant applications to submit. Some days the work moves quickly. Other days, her body demands rest. She’s learning to accept both.

To learn more, follow Milan Essentials on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Shopify. For more information about Your Salon Suites By Milan, visit the website and follow them on Instagram.

What She’d Tell Other Veterans

Milan has clear advice for disabled veterans considering entrepreneurship, starting with self-compassion.

“You’re going into this with a bit of a disadvantage with your disabilities, so you got to do it at your own pace,” she said. “You can’t beat yourself up if you have bad days or if one day you’re productive and the next day you’re not.”

Second, Milan recommends seeking out resources and community. The self-employment journey doesn’t have to be solitary.

“You’re definitely not alone in it,” she said. “Spend some time learning about those resources, asking questions, being a part of organizations [like PVA], and get as much information as you can.”

Milan’s response to a question about if she would recommend PVA’s Self-Employment Program to others was immediate and emphatic.

“Oh, yes. Especially no matter where you’re at in the process,” she said. “Knowledge is definitely the power here. There’s going to be information for everyone who attends, regardless of where they’re at—whether they’re in the very beginning or at the endpoint. There’s things you’re going to be able to take from that, learn from that, and utilize in your business.”

Redefining What’s Possible

Milan understands how paralyzed people, veterans included, are viewed by some members of society.

“I think when people hear that word that you’re paralyzed, they don’t think you have anything else to give back to society. You’re going to be on disability and social security, and you’re no longer functioning,” she said.

Milan’s story challenges that assumption directly.

“You still have those skills that you learned in the military that you can utilize,” she said. “There’s ways that you can still try to find to be productive and give back to society.”

For Milan, entrepreneurship represents more than income or independence. It’s legacy—specifically, something she can pass on to her daughter. The business bears her family name, the skills she’s developing are transferable, and the resilience she’s demonstrating daily teaches lessons no classroom could.

The diagnosis that forced her from traditional employment didn’t end her career. It redirected it. Now she’s building something sustainable, something meaningful, something entirely her own.

It started with a 10-week program that saw her potential when she was still discovering it herself. The rest is up to her—one day at a time, at her own pace, on her own terms.

About PVA’s Self-Employment Program
Part of the Veterans Career Program, PVA’s Self-Employment Program offers 10 weeks of structured training in business planning, marketing, and financial management. Expert mentors guide participants from initial concepts through comprehensive business plans, with opportunities to compete for $2,500 Self-Employment Program startup grants made possible by support from the Wells Fargo Foundation.

For Army veteran James, adaptive sports helped fill a void he once thought only his military service could fill.

“I thought the military was going to be the only thing for me for a long time,” says James, who served in the Army from 2002 to 2010 with the 82nd Airborne and Special Forces training at Ft. Bragg. He deployed to Iraq where he escaped numerous near-death combat situations with minor injuries. But in 2008, James was injured in a service-connected accident that left him a quadriplegic.

“When I was first injured, I was unsure of how I could move on from my military career and still have a full quality of life,” he says.

When I was first injured, I was unsure of how I could move on from my military career and still have a full quality of life

With limited use of his arms and no use in his legs, James thought his future was set within the confines of his home. That was until he received his first handcycle, and after adapting the specially-designed cycle by duct-taping his hands to the handlebars and pushing with his shoulders, he immediately set out to complete an 11-mile ride. He was instantly hooked.

“When I was given my first handcycle, I realized there were things out there I could still do, that could fill the void of my military service,” James says. “Sports enabled me to see that there were others with worse injuries who I could learn from and in turn help others.”

Sports enabled me to see that there were others with worse injuries who I could learn from and in turn help others.

That initial discovery found in a handcycle has since paid dividends for the many lives James has touched though his advocacy work. He served on the board of the Independence Fund and currently works as a case manager for the Quality of Life Foundation and as the military veterans program coordinator for the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation.

James also worked alongside his mom and caregiver, Nancy Wellons, in her startup of a Lynchburg chapter of AMBUCS, a national nonprofit that customizes tricycles and bicycles for people with disabilities, particularly children. In 2014, James launched a Richmond nonprofit called REACHCycles, or Richmond Empowering Abilities for Children with Cycles, which has provided 70 bikes for disabled children in the past year. “Helping a disabled child always puts life in perspective, when you think you have it bad off,” he says.

In 2013, James represented another nonprofit, Veterans & Athletes United, an all-volunteer veterans organization that provides recreational activities to disabled veterans, including skydiving, horseback riding, weapons shooting, hunting and fishing.

“I keep the mindset to keep active and physically fit and to help others do the same,” James says. “Maybe one day medical advances will get me out of this chair, but in the meantime, I’m going to stay active, enjoy life and help others.”

Maybe one day medical advances will get me out of this chair, but in the meantime, I’m going to stay active, enjoy life and help others.

Those three goals have spilled over into other aspects of James’s life, including his education and career. Following up on his 2002 undergraduate degree in civil engineering from the Virginia Military Institute, he is currently taking courses in universal design and home modification, all with the hope of one day starting his own business.

“I’d like to help those veterans who are not service-connected and don’t have access to all of the great benefits, as well as the elderly community and low-income families with disabled children,” James says. “I’m building the knowledge base now to have that business one day, but in the meantime, I’m happy to serve as an advocate for various groups.”

Amid his busy schedule, James has not given up on the physical activity and healthy lifestyle he has worked tirelessly to promote. In June 2015, he attended his third National Veterans Wheelchair Games in Dallas, co-presented by the US Department of Veterans Affairs and Paralyzed Veterans of America, where he earned medals in swimming, boccia and air rifles. “Paralyzed Veterans of America always helps me get to the events and stay active,” he says.

While Jame’s life alone speaks volumes of what can be done in spite of a catastrophic injury, he has not given up on speaking that truth into the lives of his fellow veterans and others with disabilities.

“I always tell others that they’re going to have to learn patience being in a wheelchair,” he says. “They also need to be open to others and reach out, which takes time. You may have bad days, but you’re going to learn from others who often are worse off but yet make the best of it.”

“I always look forward to the tournaments because that’s the time I get to be with my friends.”

Tony Choe came to the United States from South Korea when he was 17 years old. He joined the Marine Corps Reserve as a way to “put his roots down” and learn American culture, while also completing college.

But two years after serving in the Reserves he was working at his family’s convenience store when a robber shot Tony in the back and left him paralyzed.

At the time, his doctor gave him a 10% chance of survival.

“The only thing I could think about in the hospital was driving and going back to work and how I was ever going to be normal again,” Tony says. “It was devastating, and I thought my life had ended right there.”

But during his rehabilitation, a friend introduced him to Paralyzed Veterans of America’s Bass Tour event, which includes seven fishing tournaments each year in various states. Tony grew up ocean fishing in Korea with his father, so he signed up for the program hoping he’d be a natural fit.

He was.

On his very first bass fishing trip he won the tournament, and since then has been named Angler of the Year several times and has racked up many more awards. But it’s the friendships and excitement of the sport that keeps him—pardon the pun—hooked.

“Winning prizes is good, but it’s not about that,” he said. “You get to come to new places, you get to meet new people, you get to fish new bodies of water. It’s priceless. When you set the hook and you catch the fish and bring it in, you just have to enjoy every moment.”

Tony makes a living working as an IT specialist at the State Department, and the tournaments give him a break from technology. “I’m out there catching fish instead of fighting with computers,” he says.

“My life has revolved around the Paralyzed Veterans bass tour,” Tony says. “I always look forward to the tournaments because that’s the time I get to be with my friends. Everyone who fishes the tour is like a family member.”

Tony says his greatest reward is inspiring others and showing them that they can live life to the fullest, even from a wheelchair. He hopes his success will allow other disabled people to realize their potential, no matter what their goals are.

“People respect me; in fact, they don’t even look at me as if I have a disability,” Tony says. “I want people to not think about my disability but my ability. Fish do not care whether you’re in a wheelchair, an amputee or brain injured. I can fish just like anybody else out there.”

It was the day before Valentine’s Day in 2002. Recently enlisted in the Army, Chris Hull and a buddy were headed home before they deployed, when his friend fell asleep at the wheel and they crashed.  The accident caused Chris to suffer a traumatic brain injury, and he broke eleven bones.

He was 16 years old.

Chris says he finished high school early, and his dad gave him three options: go to college, get a job, or join the military. “I was really kind of tired of school, so military sounded like a great option to me.” He was also lured by bonuses the Army was offering, and the motivation post-9/11.

After the accident, Chris had to endure multiple surgeries, illnesses, and infections, which sapped his spirit. It was a long seven months of inpatient therapy and rehab. So in order to perservere, Chris decided to treat it like a job. “It’s a long process. It’s not necessarily a hard process, but it’s like anything else if you treat it like going to work. That makes things much easier.”

Chris credits the staff at the Tampa VA for their dedication and talent. “I’m just really thankful for all of the therapists and people there at the VA who worked really hard to get me back into fighting shape,” Chris says.

Regardless of the great people he encountered during his recovery, Chris still found that he was sad and feeling sorry for himself. That’s when his VA roommate called him and told him about an adaptive sports program that was starting in Jacksonville. Chris took the opportunity to go up there one afternoon for practice and fell in love with wheelchair rugby instantly.

This was it: he had found a sense of purpose, and something to get him out of his head and away from his traumatic ordeal. “I spent three hours with those guys and decided that was going to be the thing I was going to do. I moved up to Jacksonville four months later and it’s been wheelchair rugby ever since.” He says the Games have given him a goal to work towards, and he’s a better person because of it.

Chris now shares the lessons he has learned with others as he mentors newly injured veterans, by encouraging them to push boundaries and become active participants in their lives through three simple steps:

1. Find a way to get involved in the community, whether through sports, volunteering, or peer mentoring;
2. Find something to strengthen your body;
3. Just come out and do it, no matter what level you are at.

Chris is now an active member of the National Veterans Wheelchair Games and its large, extended family of veterans and supporters. He is always very excited to participate, because veterans have the chance every year to catch up with each other and compete. But he is also grateful to have the volunteers, fans, and spectators share in the excitement as well.

“People who have never seen adaptive sports before get to be involved, and it changes them,” he says.

Dan Rose

To assist with tuition, and having two grandfathers who had served in the military, Dan Rose joined the Army Reserve in college. Ten years into his Reserve career, Rose found himself serving as a combat engineer in Afghanistan. While on a routine route clearing mission, Rose and his crew triggered an Improvised Explosive Device (IED), hidden underneath the muddy road. The IED had just shy of one thousand pounds of explosives in it, splitting Rose’s armored truck in two, flipping it, and leaving Rose paralyzed from the chest down.

“HEY, YOU’RE GOING SKIING OUT IN COLORADO IN DECEMBER.”

Recovering and rehabbing at James A. Haley VA Hospital in Tampa, Rose was quickly introduced to adaptive sports through their jam-packed recreation therapy program, “The rec therapists at Tampa Bay were awesome. They always had things going on. The quad rugby teams would come in. We’d go hand cycling, do a lot of stuff. There was a lot of introduction to a lot of different things that were going on.”

Skiing, however, made Rose skeptical. So when his recreation therapist told him that she had arranged for him to go skiing just three months after his discharge, Rose’s response was a doubtful, “Okay.”

GOING HOME IS THE HARDEST PART

Rose was in a dark place in his life after returning home to his small town in Wisconsin. He says that before returning home, he already knew the sidewalks and restaurants from memory including all of the places that were not wheelchair accessible.

Rose says, “I basically knew where I could and couldn’t go before I even got there, so it was tough. And I didn’t know anybody else who had a disability. And so the world started to feel like I was the only person in it. I didn’t know how I really fit back into it.”

But Rose had a ski trip planned, not knowing how much it would change his perspective on life.

DISASTROUS DISMOUNT WITH AN EPIC VIEW

Filled with doubt, Rose followed along as instructors gave him tips to ready him for the slopes in Colorado. Once at the top, Rose dismounted the chairlift, expecting to begin his descent down the mountain; instead, he wiped-out at the base of the chairlift.

They got me up right away and got me off to the side. And I was just kind of sitting there dusting the snow off. My little sister was on the lifts behind us coming up, and she skied up behind, and she was like, “Pretty amazing.”

I thought she was talking about my dismount on the chairlifts, though. But I finally looked up, and I’m sitting there on top of a mountain looking over the town of Breckenridge. That’s kind of when everything hit me. I’m in a wheelchair. I’m paralyzed. There’s no reason I should ever be on top of a mountain like that, but, you know, there I was.

Not only did the ski trip help Rose regain his sense of confidence, he says, “it opened up my eyes to all the stuff that I still could do.”

FRIENDLY COMPETITION

The National Veterans Wheelchair Games has been a part of Rose’s life since 2012, and in 2018 he’ll be competing in the Slalom, Powerlifting, Field events, Bowling and Table Tennis.

For Rose, the Games not only present an opportunity to compete, but they also provide a sense of community and offer plenty of opportunities for mentorship. According to Rose, “All the sudden you go from feeling like you’re the only person in the world to having hundreds of people out there who are in the same situation you are in, that can help you out, that you can turn to.”

“It’s awesome to go from a place where there might not be many people with disabilities where you live and all of the sudden you show up in a city for a week, and there’s 500 wheelchairs.”

GIVING BACK

The National Veterans Wheelchair Games also present opportunities for the athletes to give back, be it in giving pointers to newer athletes, or taking part in Kids Day, as Rose has for the past few years. Rose says that Kids Day — a day where children with physical disabilities can interact with the competing wheelchair athletes and try out some adaptive sports — has been his favorite part of the Games since he was asked to volunteer in his third year of competing.

“It’s just amazing to be able to work with the kids and try to introduce them to the sports that have done so much for us.”

ADAPTIVE SPORTS ARE LIFESAVERS

If there ever was a spokesperson for the benefits of adaptive sports, Rose is that person:

You know, after I was injured, I feel like the biggest thing that I lost was my sense of identity. I went from being a very active, competitive person, all the sudden being paralyzed having to live life in a wheelchair, and I thought I was going to spend the rest of my time sitting on the sidelines watching everybody else have fun. If it wasn’t for adaptive sports I probably still be feeling like that. You know, it took me quite a while to realize that the injury didn’t redefine who I was as a person, you know, I was still the same person. So I could still compete and be active and live the life that I wanted to, but it took adaptive sports to make me realize it.

And for those contemplating see what the National Veterans Wheelchair Games are all about, Rose says, “Just go. Just show up. You know, you’re going to see that there are people there who have injuries that are worse than yours that are doing things that you thought were impossible for yourself to do. And that’s going to change your outlook on life.”

Every day in Fallbrook, California, Jhoonar Barerra follows a routine that keeps him moving forward. The 49-year-old Army veteran lifts weights, stretches on the floor, and prepares for his next wheelchair basketball practice. It is a far cry from where his story could have ended 18 years ago.

Barerra served from 1999 to 2007 as a section sergeant for an infantry mortar team with the 2nd Airborne Division in North Carolina. Six months after leaving the military, his life changed when a commercial appliance fell off a forklift and hit him, injuring his spinal cord and leaving him paralyzed.

No Limits in Sight

“The only limitations are the ones you believe,” Barerra said, reflecting on his journey. “Stay mentally strong, because life could always be worse.”

That philosophy has carried him through nearly two decades of rebuilding his life, one workout at a time. While a member of the San Diego Wolfpack wheelchair basketball team, he discovered the Paralyzed Veterans of America and joined its CalDiego chapter in 2010. Wheelchair basketball has since become more than a sport for Barerra.

“Wheelchair basketball is one of my passions in life since being injured in 2007,” he said.

Maintaining the physical conditioning required to play competitively pushed him to develop a comprehensive fitness routine throughout the week, balancing team practices with individual strength training.

Now, Barerra and veterans like him have a new resource to support their fitness journeys. On January 12, PVA launched its first Online Fitness + Wellness Program, a free, virtual adaptive fitness initiative powered by Warrior Strong.

Founded by veterans, Warrior Strong is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the physical and mental well-being of veterans, servicemembers, and first responders through accessible fitness and wellness programs.

The initiative serves veterans with spinal cord injuries and conditions, including multiple sclerosis and ALS, as well as those who care for them. Members can participate in as many as nine classes each week that emphasize building strength, improving endurance and developing hand-eye coordination. The program extends beyond physical exercise to incorporate meditation and breathwork practices aimed at alleviating stress and promoting mental well-being.

“By removing accessibility barriers to fitness and wellness and meeting veterans where they are in their fitness and wellness journey, we are not only helping to improve mental and physical fitness, but we are also cultivating a community of mutual support and connection,” said Fabio Villarroel, PVA Senior Director of Sports and Recreation.

Gaining Mental, Physical Strength

For Barerra, who recently joined the program, the benefits extend beyond the structured workouts. “The Online Fitness + Wellness Program has given me a sense of purpose to better myself and others,” he said.

His favorite aspect is the quick, structured exercises led by highly motivated instructors who understand the unique challenges veterans face.

One of those adaptive fitness instructors is Kenneth Keitt, a Marine Corps veteran who served from 2007 to 2011 and now works as an adaptive fitness instructor with Warrior Strong.

Keitt joined the Marine Corps shortly after graduating high school and served as a combat engineer. After returning from a deployment to Iraq, he was involved in a serious car accident in 2011 that left him paralyzed.

“For me, fitness stopped being about performance and started being about independence,” he said. “It was about being able to live my life — transferring independently, pushing my wheelchair up a hill, and having the endurance to get through the day.”

Keitt initially joined Warrior Strong as a participant, looking for a way to stay active and manage the daily challenges that come with a life-changing injury. Over time, he earned certifications through the organization and began leading classes himself.

Barerra said that the physical benefits of working out regularly include having more energy to take on the world. That increased energy translates directly into his daily life, helping him tackle household tasks and maintain his independence.

“When I started exercising, I felt stronger physically and mentally,” he said.

Keitt sees those same functional gains reflected in the veterans he works with each week.

“A lot of people think fitness is about aesthetics,” Keitt said. “For the people we serve, it is about quality of life. The stronger you are physically and mentally, the more independent you become.”

Building Strength Through Community

But perhaps most importantly, the program has reinforced what Barerra already knew: the power of community.

“Luckily, I’ve built a community of friends who motivate and push me to be a better version of myself,” he said. “The veterans, therapists, and trainers play a huge role in the community. They are the foundation for recovery.”

Keitt said that sense of community is intentional and central to Warrior Strong’s approach.

“Community is the glue,” he said. “People come for the workout, but they stay because they feel like they belong.”

Tom Tice, CEO and Founder of Warrior Strong, understands this connection deeply. “At Warrior Strong, we are dedicated to helping veterans reconnect with their physical, mental, and emotional strength,” Vice said. “Working with PVA allows us to expand that mission even further, by ensuring that every veteran, no matter their mobility level, has access to the tools and community they need to thrive.”

The partnership between these two organizations exemplifies this mission in action. Veterans can participate in online classes from anywhere in the country or drop in at the Warrior Strong facility in Scranton, Pennsylvania, for in-person sessions.

Barerra’s participation in the program has sparked a new ambition: becoming an instructor himself.

“The desire now is to better myself. The goal is to be an instructor and help advocate for fitness,” he said.

He is already prepared to share advice with other veterans facing mobility limitations who might be hesitant to begin their fitness journey. Having lived through the challenges himself, his message is simple but powerful: believe in what is possible, stay mentally strong, and lean on your community.

Keitt hopes the partnership between PVA and Warrior Strong continues to grow, expanding access to adaptive fitness while maintaining the community-centered focus that makes the program effective.

“Everyone was active at some point in their life,” he said. “Our goal is to help veterans reconnect with that and feel like the best version of themselves again.”

Veterans and caregivers interested in the PVA Online Fitness + Wellness Program can view the full class schedule and register here. The program is free and designed to meet participants wherever they are in their wellness journeys, offering both the tools for physical transformation and the community support that makes lasting change possible.

Shana Milan knows what it’s like to wake up feeling uncertain. Some mornings, she’s ready to tackle her to-do list. Other days, chronic pain from several disabilities including migraines, multiple sclerosis, neuropathy, and spinal stenosis keeps her in bed.

The unpredictability ended her ability to work a traditional job and sent her into a deep depression. But it didn’t end her ambition.

Milan, who spent seven years in the Air Force, including three as a basic training instructor at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, refused to let her disabilities define her limits. If a 9-to-5 schedule wouldn’t work for her body, she’d create something that would: her own business, on her own terms.

The question was how. She had management skills honed in the military, working across everything from personnel to security police. She had determination. What she didn’t have was a roadmap for turning those assets into entrepreneurship while also navigating the daily realities of chronic illnesses.

That’s where Paralyzed Veterans of America’s Self-Employment Program came in.

Finding Hope in Community

Milan became a PVA member in August 2025. Two weeks later, she learned PVA was launching a 10-week Self-Employment Program for disabled veterans interested in starting a business. Milan had already been preparing. She’d paid for online courses about salon suites—her dream business concept—and was finishing them up just as PVA’s program announcement landed in her inbox.

“It just naturally flowed perfectly,” she said.

Nine veterans gathered for the sessions, each carrying different dreams at different stages. Some had rough ideas on paper, and others spent years developing their concepts. Milan was the only one planning a brick-and-mortar business.

“Just seeing so many people in the same situation and seeing how encouraged they were to do more—that just made me feel good,” Milan said. “I think that was number one.”

The diversity became an unexpected strength. Watching others navigate online businesses and product sales pushed Milan to think bigger about her own venture.

“I started out thinking only brick and mortar,” she said. “But as I went through the class, I realized I need to be online, I need to raise capital.” The program didn’t just teach business principles; it also expanded what she believed was possible.

Eight Weeks of Foundation, Two Weeks of Execution

Genia Hachenberg, director of PVA’s Veterans Career Program, along with expert mentors, guided the group through eight structured sessions covering business fundamentals, financial planning, and marketing. The final two weeks focused on developing business plans and presentations.

What set the program apart was its depth.

“It wasn’t just a surface project,” Milan said. “They really took their time to understand what we wanted to do and give us guidance, make sure we were going down the right path, helping us determine the right changes we needed to make.”

The program culminated in Pitch Night, where participants presented their business plans to reviewers. The stakes: Self-Employment Program startup grants of $2,500 for the winners. The grants, made possible with support from Wells Fargo, help recipients test their business ideas and offset some of the costs of starting a business.

When Milan heard her name called, emotion overwhelmed her.

“I was shocked. Blessed,” she said. “It felt like a great accomplishment.”

The Vision: Your Salon Suites by Milan

Milan’s business concept targets a specific need in the beauty industry. Independent stylists, nail technicians, and estheticians often face a difficult choice: work for someone else or invest heavily in opening their own salon.

Your Salon Suites by Milan offer a middle path. Beauty professionals rent individual suites within a larger facility, gaining independence without the crushing overhead of a standalone location.

“You’re giving them the opportunity to have their own business,” Milan explains. “It’s their suite, they set up their clientele, they can establish the products they want to sell—everything is theirs to do.”

For Milan, the model aligned perfectly with her military roles as a personnel specialist and training instructor. Each role built management skills she could deploy without needing to be a cosmetologist herself.

The business also accommodates her health constraints. Unlike running a traditional salon requiring daily onsite presence, salon suites can be managed remotely when chronic pain makes leaving home impossible.

From Plan to Reality

Milan approaches her business with the same methodical planning she learned in the military. Before writing her business plan, she researched locations in the Atlanta area and investigated construction costs for different scenarios, including comparing new builds to conversions of existing spaces.

The biggest obstacle remains capital. Opening a brick-and-mortar location requires significant upfront investments that include construction costs, permits, furniture, and equipment for multiple suites.

Milan’s solution combines patience with parallel progress. She launched Milan Essentials, an online store selling beauty and lifestyle products. The e-commerce venture serves dual purposes: establishing the Milan brand online while also generating revenue to support a future business loan application.

“I think the biggest challenge is not getting too overwhelmed by that, and breaking it down into chunks,” she said. “Even though I put myself on a timeline, it’s okay to adjust that.”

She’s working through her to-do list systematically: community questionnaires to assess local needs, beauty industry expos to attend, grant applications to submit. Some days the work moves quickly. Other days, her body demands rest. She’s learning to accept both.

To learn more, follow Milan Essentials on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Shopify. For more information about Your Salon Suites By Milan, visit the website and follow them on Instagram.

What She’d Tell Other Veterans

Milan has clear advice for disabled veterans considering entrepreneurship, starting with self-compassion.

“You’re going into this with a bit of a disadvantage with your disabilities, so you got to do it at your own pace,” she said. “You can’t beat yourself up if you have bad days or if one day you’re productive and the next day you’re not.”

Second, Milan recommends seeking out resources and community. The self-employment journey doesn’t have to be solitary.

“You’re definitely not alone in it,” she said. “Spend some time learning about those resources, asking questions, being a part of organizations [like PVA], and get as much information as you can.”

Milan’s response to a question about if she would recommend PVA’s Self-Employment Program to others was immediate and emphatic.

“Oh, yes. Especially no matter where you’re at in the process,” she said. “Knowledge is definitely the power here. There’s going to be information for everyone who attends, regardless of where they’re at—whether they’re in the very beginning or at the endpoint. There’s things you’re going to be able to take from that, learn from that, and utilize in your business.”

Redefining What’s Possible

Milan understands how paralyzed people, veterans included, are viewed by some members of society.

“I think when people hear that word that you’re paralyzed, they don’t think you have anything else to give back to society. You’re going to be on disability and social security, and you’re no longer functioning,” she said.

Milan’s story challenges that assumption directly.

“You still have those skills that you learned in the military that you can utilize,” she said. “There’s ways that you can still try to find to be productive and give back to society.”

For Milan, entrepreneurship represents more than income or independence. It’s legacy—specifically, something she can pass on to her daughter. The business bears her family name, the skills she’s developing are transferable, and the resilience she’s demonstrating daily teaches lessons no classroom could.

The diagnosis that forced her from traditional employment didn’t end her career. It redirected it. Now she’s building something sustainable, something meaningful, something entirely her own.

It started with a 10-week program that saw her potential when she was still discovering it herself. The rest is up to her—one day at a time, at her own pace, on her own terms.

About PVA’s Self-Employment Program
Part of the Veterans Career Program, PVA’s Self-Employment Program offers 10 weeks of structured training in business planning, marketing, and financial management. Expert mentors guide participants from initial concepts through comprehensive business plans, with opportunities to compete for $2,500 Self-Employment Program startup grants made possible by support from the Wells Fargo Foundation.

In 1992, after five-and-a-half years in the U.S. Air Force, a reduction in force saw Mark Reese unemployed and looking for a way to support himself. He spent the next five years trying to make ends meet with several different retail jobs, as he applied for positions that would lead to the next phase of his career. While on a daily run, a friend suggested that Mark apply to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), which turned out to be the right opportunity for him.

Mark began the two-year application process and in 1999 was in training to become a DEA special agent. But during a qualifying run at the Quantico training facility, his right foot failed to lift mid-stride, and he fell.

After undergoing surgery for compartment syndrome and trying unsuccessfully to qualify four more times, Mark accepted a less physically demanding position as a DEA diversion investigator in 2001. It wasn’t until a year later that doctors thought they’d found the reason for Mark’s continued “foot-drop” occurrences and occasional leg weakness while running, biking, and climbing: they diagnosed him with multiple sclerosis (MS).

Over the next 11 years, despite receiving medical care for MS and maintaining an active lifestyle, Mark’s symptoms were intensifying and began to affect his personal and professional life. “My right leg would shake while rock climbing, or my foot would drop off the pedal while riding my bike,” Mark said. “As an athlete, I just wanted to push myself to keep going, but my body just wouldn’t cooperate.”

He began to rely on a cane while out in the field on work assignments. Still, he struggled with the fatigue and weakness, eventually falling while on a job. The DEA organized the purchase of a scooter for him to use while at work and finally in 2011 transitioned him to an in-office role as a program analyst.

It wasn’t until 2013 that Mark learned the correct and more serious diagnosis of ALS. Knowing the severity of the disease and its correlation with military service, his doctors told him he needed an advocate.

They advised me to visit the VA to discuss my care and benefits,” he said. “But they told me to talk to Paralyzed Veterans of America first. They said Paralyzed Veterans would take care of everything, and they were certainly right.

Mark began working at the Paralyzed Veterans Sacramento Service Office. They helped him complete and file the forms for a power chair and an adaptive vehicle so he could continue to work as the muscle weakness became more severe. They helped him obtain the adaptive housing grants so he and his wife could stay in their home.

Army veteran Laura Schwanger was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 1982. For about two years she really didn’t know what to do with herself, and was having trouble living with her new illness. But then she fell in love with adaptive sports, particularly track and field. Suddenly, she had a reason to get out of bed in the morning.

When friends invited her to attend the Boston Marathon and she saw competitors cross the line in wheelchairs, “I knew that was what I wanted to do,” she says.

She was a natural. Just a few years after her MS diagnosis, she was named to Team USA in track and field, and won four gold medals in the Paralympics. She went on to other Paralympic Games, bringing home multiple silver and bronze medals. “It was a good time to be a woman with a disability as adaptive sports were evolving and there were a lot of opportunities,” she says.

After being a star on the Games circuit, she became a star in the classroom, earning her Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology. She began working with veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as those who were, like her, adjusting to life with a disability.

And then life threw her another challenge.

“I was diagnosed with breast cancer, and I realized I didn’t want to wait for the next diagnosis to question why I hadn’t done the things I wanted to do,” Laura says.
 
Even though she was “weaker than I ever had been in my life,” she found a new passion – rowing. Before long she was back on the Paralympic stage, winning a bronze medal for rowing in the 2008 Games.
 
“I have gold medals from past Paralympics, but that bronze medal in rowing probably means the most to me,” Laura says. “I was so weak after my radiation treatments, but once I finished, I started on an exercise program, and eight weeks later I was invited to start rowing. Up until then, everything had been about breast cancer.”
 
Laura’s persistence in finding new pursuits in life shows how important it is to focus on what you can do, instead of what you cannot do. Her can-do attitude and hopeful spirit has taken her in directions she never expected. “When I was diagnosed with MS, I had no idea I’d eventually be trading in my fatigues for the USA uniform,” she says.
 
Laura remains thankful for the support of the Department of Veterans Affairs and Paralyzed Veterans of America. “I have received the benefits of the work of Paralyzed Veterans of America, particularly the coordinated care at the VA that has supported my disease and my cancer,” Laura says.
 
“Paralyzed Veterans also was instrumental in passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which has made my life so much easier and accessible.”

Now living in Florida, Laura continues to row and mentor others through adaptive sports. She also loves to ride her motorcycle and has even joined a group of women on a 1,400-mile motorcycle ride to Wisconsin.
 
Laura hopes other veterans will come to the realization that she had – that it is possible to do more than merely exist following a disability. “Each day is a gift,” she says. “The alternative is to curl up in a hole or to die, but it’s a gift that we are still here. The front door may have closed, but other doors might have opened, and joy can be found in opening those alternate doors that lead to something new you can succeed in.”

Jann Vasiloff is the widow of U.S. Marine Corps Veteran George, who passed away from ALS. Jann is the inspiration behind the Justice for ALS Veterans Act, which would make the spouses of Veterans with ALS eligible for the DIC Kicker regardless of how long the Veteran had the disease. Currently, the benefit is only available to survivors if the Veteran had the disease for eight years or more, which is usually unlikely due to the extremely progressive nature of ALS.

What did George do for a living?

He primarily worked in the trucking industry. He was a branch manager in transportation. That’s what he worked at most of his career.

Why did he serve?

It was Vietnam, and he was drafted. His number came up and he had to report to the recruiting center. At the recruiting center they lined them all up in a line, and they went down the line and counted, “One, two, three, four, five, Marine. One, two, three, four, five, Marines.”

How long were y’all together?

We were together 37 years before he passed.

Do y’all have any children?

We have two. One son, and one daughter.

Are they around you? Do they live close?

They’re both a little over an hour from me.

What year was it that he was diagnosed with ALS? Do you remember?

The actual diagnosis was September, 2013, but of course he’d had symptoms before that. ALS is always the last thing that they think of. They look at everything else first and then that’s kind of a process of elimination.

And he passed in March of 2015?

2015, right.

It was fairly progressive but fairly standard.

Yes. It went very quickly. I mean, within the parameters, but on the lower end of the parameter instead of what we’d been hoping for.

After he passed, were you aware of this DIC benefit? When did you start fighting and figuring out that you needed to?

Initially it was because through the ALS Association, the rep that we were assigned came to the house and one of the first things she asked was, “Are you a Veteran?” And he said, “Yes.” McGuire was our VA hospital and she took us down, and the first thing after we did all the paperwork, she said, “We’re going to the PVA office.” And we went over there and they said, “We do everything,” and they did. They filled out all the paperwork, everything that needed to be done. So they were our point of contact, other than the doctors themselves, but they absolutely handled everything and were our point of contact for everything. I don’t know what it would’ve been like without having that resource.

When you emailed me you said you had talked and met with a lot of people before you got to PVA and got real help.

I had gone through several people for help on the Justice for ALS Act before I connected up with PVA on the legislative end of things.

Okay. But after he passed you realized that you weren’t eligible for the DIC benefit.

Yeah. Somebody from the VA told me, “This is DIC, this is what you’ll be getting, and then you’ll be getting this death benefit.” Well, I didn’t get it. And so, I just thought it was a mistake and looked into it, and that’s when I figured out through talking to people what the regulation was and so forth. He died in March. It was probably summer by the time I figured all that out.

And then you started working with PVA?

Yeah. Once I got the official ruling from VA. I already knew what it was going to be.

In hindsight I should have gone straight to somebody that served on one of the VA committees, with either House of Representatives or Senate, but I wasn’t thinking that. I immediately thought of my own senators, both of whom claimed that VA affairs and VA benefits and so forth are one of their top priorities. So, that’s where my mind went. But I never got anything. There are bigger fish to fry, we all know that, but everybody thinks their own problem is the most important.

You weren’t really getting anywhere.

I was getting nowhere. So then I went to ALS, the national organization. And I can’t remember how many people I went through to get to where I got. But eventually they sent me over to the vice president of public policy who wrote me and said, “At this time I’m working with PVA staff here in D.C. on the best path forward on this issue.” That’s when the light bulb went on. I thought, “I need to go to PVA and ask, how can we get this [issue] noticed?” And that was how I circled back to PVA, which, had I been logical, I probably should have started with them to begin with.

These people serve and then receive this diagnosis, and then it’s almost like a kick in the pants after death for survivors not to get this benefit that they should.

The way the reg is written, you don’t get that death benefit unless the patient died of the disease, and had the disease for eight years or longer. And that was my whole point. People don’t survive eight years. Survival’s getting a little bit better because of the new drug therapies that are coming on the market, but there’s no cure. And eight years is not the norm. The norm is still two to five. Back when George was diagnosed the norm was two to three, and he fell right in that window. And I cited all of that.

How’s it any different than if a veteran develops cancer from Agent Orange and lives eight years and one day? His widow gets that death benefit. And an ALS patient who served, lives seven years and 30 days, his wife doesn’t. His spouse doesn’t get it. So, it was arbitrary. And it just needs to change. I don’t know how they came up with this, but whatever service connection they made to ALS, people that serve, they’re not getting the full benefit. And you need that benefit more as a surviving spouse because you’re getting the disability from the VA while your husband is alive and suffering.

They’re quite generous with that 100% disability but the minute the patient dies, that’s gone. The absolute minute. I mean, that’s it; that was your last payment, you’re done. And so, you go from being able to pay your bills and this, that and the other, down to the DIC only. When I started this the death benefit was $230 some dollars a month, so it’s not a lot. I don’t know what it is today, probably not too much more, but that’s a car payment. That’s the way I look at it.

I won’t get anything from this if this Act passes, unless it’s rewritten the way the original one was written. Couple Congresses ago, if it would have passed it would be effective only for those that died of ALS from October, 2018, forward. I always said, I wasn’t doing this for that money. Not that I’d turn it down, mind you, but I was doing it to change what is just a gross oversight.

I know someone else in Nebraska and her husband only lived a year, and he was a Veteran. After he was diagnosed I said, “You need to go straight to the VA in Omaha and sign everything up.” I tell everybody I meet, “If you know somebody that needs to walk through the VA system, contact me.” And of course, I’m going to take them straight to the PVA office and say, “These are the people that can help you.”

You could use McGuire in Richmond as a model hospital because they were great. We waited for nothing. They had a real grasp of the idea, this person is dying. He doesn’t have time to wait. And I’m sure that that had a lot to do with that PVA office being right there in the hospital.

The PVA office was absolutely top-rated.

If I called for something, if I had to leave a message, they were back to me that day. There was no such thing as waiting for answers, or they didn’t have an answer, they got it to me. So, I tell people a lot about PVA, whether it’s ALS connected or not.
I don’t even know if we’d would’ve ended up where we ended up if it hadn’t been for PVA, but it certainly would’ve been a whole, different experience and a longer experience to get those results.

And looking back, it was really a godsend because he ended up living only 23 months from the time of diagnosis. If you spend half that time trying to get where you’re supposed to be, it’s nothing. And of course, there’s no way to tell that at the time. And that’s the thing with that disease; it affects everybody differently in how they progress and so forth.

I appreciate that you can honor George’s memory by doing this and hope you can get this Justice for ALS Veterans Act passed.

Yes, exactly. This will be his legacy, if it gets passed. And he would be happy about that.

U.S. Army Veteran Michelle Melland began her career as a transportation officer after being commissioned in 1988. She spent four years on active duty, and was stationed for three of those years spent in Kaiserslautern, Germany, where she worked various roles in a battalion that hauled supplies throughout Europe. Later on, she would spend one year in the Army Reserve while attending graduate school at the University of Kansas. Eventually, she was able to use her logistics background at a trucking company, and was the primary breadwinner while her husband stayed home and took care of their twin girls.

But in 2011, she noticed that something was off. One day, she was playing volleyball and couldn’t tie her left shoes tightly enough. She initially dismissed it as her shoes being poor quality. Then, she began experiencing muscle twitches in her biceps. Eventually, her symptoms progressed and she went to a neurologist, who diagnosed her with ALS.

“I was angry, stunned, and devastated. The diagnosis was a death sentence that came out of nowhere,” she said. “I was healthy and active and I had two young daughters to raise. How could this be happening to me? Devastation quickly turned to resolve as my family and I decided to make the most of the time I have left. Fortunately, that’s turned out to be longer than I expected. I’ve come to terms with my ‘new normal’.”

Michelle has done the best to make the most of her life after her diagnosis. Initially, she spent hours Googling ALS looking for signs of hope, but since then, she has learned to “stay out of her head”. Eventually, she got into freelance writing as a way to keep her mind sharp as her body declined.

Today, Michelle’s ALS has progressed to the point where she can no longer walk, talk, or move her fingers, toes or head. However, she is able to communicate through a computerized eye-gaze technology that allows her to type out her thoughts on a keyboard. In addition to her freelance writing career, Michelle maintains a book review blog where she has written almost 160 book reviews.

Michelle credits PVA for helping her acquire the benefits she needed as she learned to navigate her new challenges. “I hold PVA in high regard. They know the ins and outs of the VA system and helped me at a time when I wasn’t really up to figuring out everything I needed to do to access my benefits,” she says. “They helped me access my benefits right after my diagnosis. And through the years they’ve helped understand and access additional benefits like adaptive housing grants and dependent tuition benefits.”

The force of nature known as Ann Adair served in the U.S. Army for fourteen years. She was a reservist in a Civil Affairs Unit that served all over the world during emergencies and war situations.

While on active duty, she fell numerous times, injuring her back and knees. She now relies on a cane, a walker, or a scooter to get around. But that hasn’t slowed her down from being actively involved in her community and with PVA.

After her service, Ann worked for the VA and had just retired when she found a job working with PVA in the Medical Services department. She is a registered nurse, and brought her expertise in neurology and spinal cord issues to PVA for eleven years, until her injuries forced her to resign. She then realized that her injuries qualified her to be a member of PVA. She has been active ever since, most notably with the Colonial Chapter.

Ann is a champion for all of PVA’s advocacy efforts, and the organization’s work in the medical field. She is also enormously grateful for PVA’s help when it comes to her earned benefits – because if it hadn’t been for PVA, she never would have known she was service-connected for her disability.

We talked to Ann about the very unique way PVA works with VA hospitals and SCI/D units to ensure Veterans get the very best care possible, and the important role PVA’s National Service Officers play in the lives of those who have honorably served.

Ann Adair:

On VA Site Visits…

When I first came to PVA, I didn’t realize the very unique way that PVA works with the VA. We go on annual site visits and audit the VA Hospitals.

We always take a physician, a nurse, a member of PVA, and a National Service Officer from the local area who knows the staff. We interview everybody at the hospital, from the directors and chief of staff, to the nursing assistants, the physical therapists, and everyone down to the housekeeping staff.

We would talk to all the inpatients, and if outpatients came in, we’d talk to them as well.

And at the end of the interviews, we come up with recommendations to improve hospital care and address any concerns we have.

And then the hospital responds, and our report goes to the Secretary of the VA, and it often goes to Congress. PVA is the only organization that really does this kind of proactive research into patient care.

We have a positive relationship with the hospital staff and patients because we want them to be successful. We are there to do positive things for patient care – to get equipment for staff, to get pay raises, to keep new employees coming in, and to get the right education for everybody.

On Education…

Speaking of education, everybody in the world can read the publications PVA produces that educate on spinal cord injury.

We produce clinical practice guidelines with experts all over the country in the field of spinal cord medicine, MS, and ALS. Everybody in the world can read these publications, and in fact, when I worked at PVA, I would get calls from Australia, Saudi Arabia, and all over who wanted us to send them our CPGs. They are significant for every practitioner.

If it weren’t for the research and education that PVA has funded since it was organized in 1946, some patients would never get out of the hospital. There have been amazing improvements in medicine that have allowed people with spinal cord injuries and diseases to get out and about.

On National Service Officers …

One of the things I found astounding when I worked at PVA is that we would teach this knowledge of neurological issues to our National Service Officers. They get extensive training in medical knowledge and benefits; I don’t know if any other veterans service organization does that.

Our service officers build great relationships with the hospitals, and PVA is fortunate that in many cases, we have offices right there in the hospital, very close to the Spinal Cord Injury Center. Some of our chapters are located in the hospital as well. We have really open communication and a great relationship with our colleagues in health care.

PVA’s service officers check on Veterans once a year to see where they are in their injury, and if they qualify for a change in service connection and additional benefits. You don’t have to be a member of PVA to get help from an NSO. I always recommend people go talk to a PVA officer when they need assistance.

PVA has been wonderful for me, personally. PVA has taught me so much about my own injury, and about other people’s injuries. They support research at various universities into spinal cord medicine, and mobility accessories. And they have worked to get state and federal laws passed to make accessibility much easier for everyone with a disability.

I always reach out to other Veterans and tell them to use PVA as a resource. We have absolutely wonderful service officers who can assist Veterans in a variety of ways.

I’m just really pleased I had the opportunity to work for PVA because it opened up a lot of things for me.