VISN 2: Veterans' Wellness, Fall 2006

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VA Healthcare Network Upstate New York - VISN 2

Fall 2006

Reaching for the Stars

VA National Rehabilitation Special Events motivate participants to be their best. We hope their stories will inspire you!


	Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran Frank Washburn, of Lancaster, learned to ski at the National Disabled Veteran Winter Sports Clinic. He lost half of his left foot in combat.

Last winter, Frank Washburn developed a passion for downhill skiing. “Skiing makes me feel like I don’t have an injury,” says the 42-year-old Lancaster resident, who lost half of his left foot in Operation Iraqi Freedom. “I can ski just as well as anyone else.”

At the 20th National Disabled Veteran Winter Sports Clinic in April, Washburn and nearly 350 other veterans with spinal cord injuries, amputations, visual impairment or other physical disabilities were taught to ski, scuba dive, rock climb and engage in other exciting sports. These activities help build confidence—after all, once you’ve gone skiing, most other things just don’t seem nearly as frightening.

“It really helped my outlook to see people with more severe injuries than myself being able to do anything an able-bodied person can do,” Washburn says. “It gave me a feeling of being perfectly normal.”

The National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic and other VA National Rehabilitation Special Events motivate eligible veterans to reach their full potential, improve their independence and achieve a healthier lifestyle.

Each year, VA sponsors four national events for veterans served by VA medical facilities nationwide: the Winter Sports Clinic, the Wheelchair Games, the Golden Age Games and the Creative Arts Festival. Each program enhances the physical, social and emotional well-being of participants. Veterans involved in these events and the hundreds of VA employees and volunteers who support them each year share a strong sense of purpose and camaraderie.

VA holds the largest annual wheelchair sports event in the world. After World War II, injured veterans began playing wheelchair basketball in VA hospitals. Soon, there were plenty of competitive sports nationally for people who use wheelchairs. The National Veterans Wheelchair Games are open to all U.S. military veterans who use wheelchairs because of spinal cord injuries, neurological illnesses, amputations or other mobility impairments.

This July, more than 30 veterans recently injured in Iraq and Afghanistan competed in wheelchair softball, rugby, basketball, track and more. For Jake Hipps, of Buffalo (featured on the front cover), the Wheelchair Games have changed his life. The Vietnam veteran and paraplegic has competed in six National Veterans Wheelchair Games, in weight lifting, basketball, shot put, javelin and bowling.

The National Veterans Golden Age Games give veterans who are 55 or older the chance to compete in swimming, bowling, checkers, dominoes and more. Participants benefit from social interaction and have the chance to visit different areas of the country. The veterans who participate in the Golden Age Games serve as excellent role models for all Americans to stay fit and active.


Robert Lillis, of Blasdell, competes in the National Veterans Golden Age Games.

“Participating in the Golden Age Games has made life simple and allows me to get out and meet people,” says Robert Lillis, of Blasdell, who competed in table tennis, shuffle board and bowling. “Staying active is important to my health.”

The National Veterans Creative Arts Festival displays the creative talents of our nation’s veterans. In the United States, music therapy as a formal discipline was first employed during World War I to help soldiers with disabilities in VA hospitals. Art therapy is based on the belief that the creative process is healing and life-enhancing. Through creating art, people increase awareness of self, cope with stress and traumatic experiences, enhance cognitive abilities and enjoy the life-affirming pleasures of artistic creativity.

Every year, art competitions in drama, dance, music and visual arts take place at VA medical centers across the country. The first-place winners in local competitions are invited to attend the annual Creative Arts Festival. There, the veterans participate in artistic workshops. At the end of the week, they get to perform in a show. The veterans in this event demonstrate how the arts can provide great therapy for those recovering from physical or emotional problems.


	Vivian Eagan, of Charlton, won the senior dance competition at the National Veterans Creative Arts Festival.

Tap dancer Vivian Eagan, 83, of Charlton, took first place in the dance competition for ambulatory seniors at last year’s event. “Winning the national competition is a dream come true,” she says. “Tap dancing is good for concentration, coordination and circulation, and it also helps with your mental health.”

VA’s national rehabilitation events provide sports and leisure activities in unique environments that promote self-development, camaraderie and a well-earned sense of accomplishment. Congratulations to all VA Healthcare Network Upstate New York veterans who have competed. For more information on how you can participate, call your local recreation therapy department or visit www1.va.gov/opa/speceven/index.asp.

Reviewed/Updated Date: January 16, 2007