Wanted: Adventurous types who are willing to endure pelting rain, smashing hail, gale force headwinds, grueling climbs, blistering heat, flat tires, bone jarring road surfaces, crazy drivers, and no sleep.
Sergeant Brett Miller raises his hand and says, “Sign me up. I expect to cross the finish line with a smile on my face.” Brett brings the “We can do it” attitude to the Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) Race Across America (RAAM) team and it’s an attitude well-earned during his service in Iraq from 2004 to 2005.
Brett, a convoy commander, was conducting security operations when a roadside bomb went off six feet from the door of his Humvee. The impact shook Brett with such force that he suffered traumatic brain injury (TBI), brain bleed, detached right retinal, blown out right ear, and he fractured nine teeth. It rendered Brett hemiplegic – paralyzed on his left side.
“During my recovery, I was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD),” says Brett, describing his experiences with it as “a fit of mental rage.” For Brett, cycling became a form of release and therapy. He got a mountain bike in Palo Alto and started jumping ramps and doing wheelies at the VA.
“Cycling has saved my life. It ended up being the integral part of my three years of inpatient hospitalization.”
That’s why Brett says he jumped at the chance to join his combat brothers and race with the WWP RAAM team. He’s determined to be a positive role model who shows people that life is too short to give up on things you never thought possible.
“I had spent years lying in a hospital bed, going through surgeries, rehabbing, and having lots of time to think,” says Brett. “My biggest motivation is somebody telling me I can’t do something. Through my involvement with Wounded Warrior Project, I want to show other warriors that ‘yes, you can!’”
