27/03/2015
It's easy to dodge a punch when you see it coming, tougher when you get blindsided. Without warning, there's not much you can do. You can't brace for impact or defend yourself at that most critical time. In that split second, you possess no control. Perhaps it is luck or by the grace of God, you survive and begin to slowly regain control. Will and power are restored back to those who previously had no control.
Spc. Terry Cartwright knows the feeling of helplessness all too well. It was a December night when the car he was driving was cut-off by another driver. Cartwright's car went airborne, rolled three times and came to a stop, wrapped around a tree. The driver of the other vehicle never bothered to stop; an obvious hit and run. As Cartwright lay in a hospital bed, he was told his injuries may cause him to never be able to run again. As he lay there, the Safford, Arizona native, set out a plan of action. He was going to run again, and soon. Fortunately for him, his paralysis was temporary and he was able to leave the hospital a short time later.
The year that followed had Cartwright spending hours upon hours in physical therapy and sessions with therapists to help him deal with his traumatic brain injury, anxiety and post traumatic stress. A little more than a year later, he was assigned to Fort Belvoir's Warrior Transition Unit. Being assigned to the WTU "is the best thing to have happened to me for my recovery," states Cartwright. "At first I fought it, but once I saw the opportunities and saw how much the unit supports the Soldiers, it convinced me this was the place I needed to be."
Cartwright credits the WTU's cadre for pushing him to participate in Adaptive Reconditioning activities. "During my in-processing, the cadre asked me about my past, what I enjoyed doing, and how I spent my time." As soon as they found out running was a big passion of mine, they (cadre) steered me right towards the Adaptive Sports program and put me in to compete for the Army Trials."
Cartwright is a competitor and appreciates the added training he has received the last two months leading up to the Army Trials in Fort Bliss, Texas. Cartwright, along with approximately 85 other Soldier athletes will be competing for a place on the Department of Defense Warrior Games 2015 Army team at Marine Corps Base, Quantico, Virginia in June.
"I love it out here. I appreciate the training and instruction the coaches have been giving me and the rest of the athletes this week. I can already feel that my performance has improved 100 percent." Cartwright is not settling on just competing, he has his eyes set on winning. His goal is to get his run times back to where they were when he was a high school athlete. He believes the training, coaching and inspiration he feels being with the other Soldier athletes will help him attain his goal. He sees his future and is ready to meet it head on.
