Page 598 - Total War on PTSD

for new experiences and thrive on connecting with people. These relationships have helped me achieve something greater than the sum of its individual parts.
I entered the world of motorsports as a competitor, but severe injuries that I suffered during a qualifying race became the catalyst for a different kind of opportunity.
Rather than continuing to race, I instead founded VETMotorsports, a nonprofit group that organizes and funds motorsports experiences for injured post-9/11 Veterans who are having trouble adjusting to civilian life. I got the idea based on therapies I saw being done in the United Kingdom as well as a chance viewing of a BBC broadcast that prompted me to create this life-changing organization for injured Veterans. The BBC program showed how injured troops used motorsports to recover, and I believed that the same approach could work in the United States. As a former professional motorcycle racer, I facilitated race experiences across the States during the racing season and focused on fundraising and outreach to partners during the off-season. I wanted the experience to be very hands on and immersive and not a parade of Veterans just getting thanked for their service. Veterans could ride or work in the pit, and could benefit from the cultural similarities of motorsports to military culture.
I knew that the first event we held would really affect the motorsports team. But how the event positively affected the veteran participants was overwhelming. From that point, I knew we had a concept that had the potential to really transform the lives of those attending and participating in our events.
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