HOPE, a simple four letter word, and yet it is one of the most powerful words in the English language. The immediate and long term effects of this word Hope, being uttered by someone in pain, need, or trying to get ahead in this world is a beginning. The word hope is the cornerstone for all of us who endeavor to overcome pain, eliminate need, and for those who get ahead in this world, all have one thing in common, the word HOPE.
Our Veterans, Active Duty Military, and families all work off the premise of hope. The Hope for a tomorrow, hope for today, hope! Medical Doctors understand that there profession is both the Science and Art of medicine; however, the sense of Hope by the patient, is what makes it all work. We have all heard of stories where people were given the grimmest of forecast by a Dr. and yet have overcome the odds, the prognosis, and the negative. How? Hope! They challenged themselves to believe in the word hope, they fought back the negative emotions, the supposed experts opinion, and said to themselves “I have hope” that the outcome is different than the prognosis. “I am willing to fill my life with hope and challenge myself.” “I will fight this fight and never give up, I am worth it.”
Today we have millions of Veterans from all periods who are looking for a reason to Hope, a reason to get out of their present funk, and think about the beauty and potential of tomorrow. We at Project “We Remember” have been given a chance to partner with another non-profit organization called K2 Adventures Foundation, www.k2adventuresfoundation.org The co-founder Kevin Cherilla, is working with another non-profit organization in Colorado that will lead 16 Disabled Veterans on a mountain climbing expedition of over 20,000 ft. The website is www.soldierstothesummit.org What an adventure, a climb up a mountain which is close to Mt. Everest in Nepal for Veterans who have lost legs, arms, suffer from PTSD(post traumatic stress disorder), and TBI (traumatic brain injury). This is something that most abele body Americans would not consider and yet here are 12 Iraq/Afghanistan injured Veterans that have maintained Hope for their tomorrows and have accepted the Challenge.
I will be keeping you informed on this expedition which will begin on September 24th, 2010 and will take 20 days. Stay tuned for how you can help those who are making the trip and how those who want to follow this group of American Heroes make their climb, and follow the climbers to the TOP!