Page 7 - CLF2019

Page 3

ed and the surgeries began. He spent ” “Everything looked great on the
nearly two years in and out of Walter The fact is, all of us outside,” he said. “But inside, I felt dis-
Reed Medical Center undergoing mul- connected and ungrounded. All of the
tiple surgeries eventually leaving him are living with sports I was doing helped with my
with prosthetics on both legs. He was the invisible wounds physical healing, but the invisible
also diagnosed with a traumatic brain wounds had caught up with me.”
injury and the years after the 2004 of some kind of war. And he was embarrassed about his
attack left him anxious, restless and prosthetics.
plagued with nightmares. “I was ashamed for people to see
When he became comfortable with me without them,” he said. “I'd always
his new prosthetics, Nevins threw the George C. Lang Award for been proud of my legs. They were my
himself into adaptive sports, taking up Courage, for his efforts on behalf of the best feature.”
golfing, skydiving, skiing, even moun- organization. He went on to become “I was chasing Benadryl with
tain climbing. Nevins credits Wounded the director of WWP Warriors Speak whiskey, hoping I wouldn't wake up,”
Warrior Project with his successful program, where he taught other said Nevins, a retired Army staff ser-
rehabilitation, which instilled a “can- wounded warriors and their care- geant. “I was spiraling downhill fast.”
do” attitude, positive outlook and pas- givers how to share their stories with In 2014, upon reaching a new low
sion for helping his fellow wounded the public and serve as spokespeople and trying to find his way out, Nevins
warriors in him. He quickly became for the organization, much like he had. called a friend, a certified yoga
an advocate for the organization, But Nevins soon found that his instructor who offered him three free
inspiring both his peers and the public rehabilitation was not complete as his lessons to help with his despair, an
to create positive change for them- wounds, both physical and emotional, offer he did not accept graciously.
selves and those around them, simply continued to plague the peace he “I said, 'That's the dumbest thing
by sharing his powerful story. In 2008, thought he had found in helping other
Dan received WWP's highest honor, veterans. See Yoga, page 4