I stood on the side of the mountain looking back to how far I had come. I was tired, exhausted, and in pain. I was done. Standing here, the incline was so steep, I could only place part of my boot in the snow. I’m glad I had the trekking poles. Those and my good leg...
My name is Craig Vogtsberger and I come from a family of US military veterans. I served in the Army/Army National Guard from April 1995 to April 2003. In March 2001, I walked between two Humvees as they hit each other. I was crushed and trapped between them. I...
Speaking with TeamUP co-captain Craig Vogtsberger today, you might never know he suffered a traumatic injury so severe doctors didn’t know where to begin. After being crushed between two Humvees during a training exercise in the National Guard, Craig was uncertain...
One of the newest (and youngest) members of the TeamUP co-captain roster, Adam Luke, recently got the chance to tell his story to his hometown news team at KLFY. He and his mother, Kellie, spoke with reporters about Adam’s journey to get back up, from being...
My son is a talented athlete, holding national records in discus and long jump. He loves to sing and loves being outdoors. He is a caring brother and a loving son, and can be extremely sweet (when he wants to be!). He is also a pediatric stroke survivor! I’m guessing...
Finding clothes to fit your needs and style is often difficult when you have conditions that affect your nerves, muscles and mobility, including Foot Drop. But if you’ve long wished more retailers would offer inclusive clothing options, that wish could be coming true...
When I was young, riding my bike 2-3 miles to a friend’s house to do homework or play a sport, I never would/could have dreamed this would be such an integral part of my life. Even more so, the bicycle/tricycle would become what I am known for as an athlete, “trike...
I’ve always loved mountain biking. Since I got my first bike in 1988, a Diamondback Ascent (rigid fork, no suspension), I fell in love with riding on trails Looking back, that was the wrong bike to be doing what I did with it, but there wasn’t...
I used to think I was invincible. That was, of course, until a chance accident left me without the use of my left leg. Little did I know that I would soon begin a three year-long journey to even get a proper diagnosis of my injury—let alone return to an active,...
This year, the NOBULL CrossFit® Games added a new category – the adaptive division. For Letchen Du Plessis, who suffered an injury so severe that it was unclear whether she’d ever walk again, this was an opportunity to test just how far she had come. While Letchen...
I am a Law Enforcement Officer. A “street cop”. I have disabilities. To the naked eye, you wouldn’t know. I call them “hidden disabilities”. I was born with a couple, potentially related, congenital birth defects. One is Clubfoot. It’s a lower limb...
When I was 15 years old I was diagnosed with a rare and acute brain abnormality known as an Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM). To address this life threatening malformation, I underwent invasive brain surgery at the age of 16. The surgery was a success in eliminating...
National Foot Drop Awareness Day 2019 is almost here! On September 20th, we’ll be celebrating all the ways in which the global Get Back UP Today community has refused to let Foot Drop stand in the way of a happy, healthy life. From the TeamUSA Paralympians...
After the attack that nearly claimed her life left her paralyzed on her right side, Becky Piper faced a tough road to recovery. Though today her friends and family know her as an unwaveringly positive, upbeat person, that outlook didn’t come easy. In addition to the...
I stood looking out at the water and thinking about the next sixty to seventy-five minutes. A lot can go wrong in that time, but all I could focus on was what was in my control. The Challenge Daytona 2020 would be my first and only race of 2020 due to the pandemic. I...