MIKE MYERS

Mike Myers, a member of the Fighting Back Scholarship Veterans Program, and a virtual training client, recently gained independent living after spending 2 ½ years in a nursing facility!

Mike was a medic in the Navy and was serving in Beirut in 1983 when two truck bombs struck buildings housing American and French service members of the Multinational Force. When Mike left the Navy, he was accepted into the Thomas Jefferson College of Nursing, but suffered a back injury requiring multiple surgeries. Through therapy and determination, he regained full use of his legs. He became a skilled carpenter and started his own home remodeling and construction business, employing many.

In 2018 he was severely injured in a motorcycle accident. His injuries required a minimum one-year rehabilitation in a nursing facility. This is where Mike was recuperating when COVID struck the nursing facility. When Mike was well enough to take advantage of Fighting Back’s virtual training program in July (2020), his life was finally changed for the better.

Mike had begun working with trainer, Heather Bakker, in 2019, as part of Fighting Back’s paralysis program. Once lockdown hit, he was prohibited from leaving his 12’ x 12’ room. Mike says:

“Virtual training supports me significantly on all levels: Mentally, emotionally, and physically. Just to be able to see and connect with another person has been tremendous. My trainer (Heather) dropped off weights, elastic bands, and coloring books for me to work on my dexterity and to continue the progress I was making. I really look forward to it and benefit from it greatly. I’m not getting any other therapy and thank God every day for the Fighting Back Scholarship Program and the things they do. It’s wonderful!”

Due to Mike’s courage, desire, and perseverance and Fighting Back’s incredible community of support, he was finally released to live independently in an apartment in West Chester!