inMotion Magazine

Living Free 11 We all have bad days at the office. For some, that bad day can overtake our lives. For others, that bad day is merely a tool to learn how to push and preserve and go forward. April 12, 2012 was a bad day for Travis Mills – a really bad day. It was that day that retired U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Travis Mills lost all four limbs while serving his country in Afghanistan. That alone makes him a hero. However, Travis took that bad day and turned his devastating situation into a positive one that will continue to help fellow wounded warriors. I am a right above‑knee amputee due to a congenital birth defect. Two years ago I needed to update my driver’s license after we moved. I went to the local motor vehicle department on a warm summer day, and I was wearing shorts. I sat down and looked to my right and noticed a young man sitting next to me and he was a quadruple amputee. He looked at me and smiled and said, “Cool leg you have.” I laughed and said, “Well, yours are cool too!” “Well, look what I can do!” he said as he smiled and rotated one of his prosthetic wrists around in a circle. “Ha!” I said, “Look what I can do!” I then rotated my leg at the knee around 360 degrees (I have a rotator on my knee). Travis and I laughed and the people around us looked at us like we were nuts.” “Do you know who I am?” he asked. I did recognize him and I said, “Yes, I do. Thank you for your service.” “Why are you here?” he asked. “To get a new address on my license,” I said. “Oh, I have to take my driver’s test again,” he replied. “I’m so nervous.” “Don’t worry about it, you’ll be great,” I said. We then chatted about prosthetics, and discovered we actually went to the same place in New Hampshire. The entire encounter lasted about 15 minutes. But that is not why he is my hero. After all Travis went through, he wanted to do more. Travis worked hard to raise funds and purchase and open a retreat in Rome, Maine for veterans and their families to go to and relax, boat and enjoy all kinds of adaptive recreational activities. Travis works tirelessly to help others recover not only from the physical scars of war, but the emotional ones as well. The Travis Mills Foundation works to help wounded veterans and their families have a place to go and recover and remember that life is good. Travis did not let a bad day at the office destroy his life. Instead, he shows others every day that life is good and everyday matters. For more information, visit travismillsfoundation.org .  TURNING A BAD DAY I N TO S OME T H I NG By Yvonne Batson GOOD

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MzY2MDY2