Juan Carlos Hernandez - Amputee Inspires Others through Cycling

Hi,

Today I am going to share story of Juan Carlos Hernandez, always liked sports but never imagined he would become a hard core cyclist six months after losing half of his right leg in Afghanistan. Juan Carlos, who regularly sports shorts with his patriotic prosthetic leg, has gone from never riding more than 20 miles to riding more than 400 miles in a week. Since he began cycling in April 2010 - only six months after his injury - he has participated in more than 12 Ride 2 Recovery Challenges.

 

Let me tell you more about him

In 2006, Juan Carlos joined the Army and was deployed to Afghanistan in Dec. 2008 with Task Force Palehorse 7/17th Cavalry. He was injured on Oct. 13, 2009 while conducting nighttime aerial missions in the valleys of Afghanistan. The aircraft was hit with an RPG with shrapnel penetrating directly below Juan Carlos injuring his right leg was so badly that it required a below-the-knee amputation on-site of the accident.

Juan Carlos did his recovery and rehabilitation at Brook Army Medical Center and the Center for the Intrepid. He moved quickly; released from the hospital in mid-November 2009, he was walking with his new prosthesis a few days before Christmas. By mid-February, he was pedaling with his prosthetic leg on an upright bicycle with no issues – well only a few minor accidents while learning to balance on his new leg.

While at the CFI, he heard about Ride 2 Recovery and joined his first ride within six months of his injury.  Ride 2 Recovery means a lot to him because they helped him physically and also mentally. The R2R family is one of the main reasons Juan Carlos is still part of the program. He loves what they had done for him and his fellow veterans who are recovering. Juan Carlos believes cycling does so many things that medicine cannot.

 

Because of the connections he made with so many wounded warriors, he joined R2R as a staff member. Juan Carlos knows there are many things that he can offer that others cannot, simply because he has been in their shoes and we can relate to one another.

Juan Carlos says “My goal is to help and mentor as many wounded warriors as I can, I know that I may not be able to help them all, but I will try to do my best to accomplish that goal and do it to my best ability”. 

My friends today he is an inspiration to wounded warriors and trying his best to help them. Be Positive Amputees and try to get up from bed, do physiotherapy regularly and make your mind strong. Our life is not over after getting amputated; from here we can make a new start and can achieve what we want. I am here for you guys and I will keep updating relevant information, Real Stories and Details about Advance Technology Prosthetics for you. If you have any question or query and need my help on anything you can mail me at jas.singh474@gmail.com.
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