Before Project Hero R2R, I dealt with multiple health issues being confined to a wheeelchair. It would take 3 people to get me in and out of a bike to ride every Saturday. My legs were usually swollen and blue due to circulation problems. I used to take enough pills to kill a horse, which almost killed me multiple times, especially when taken with Fentanyl. I suffer from severe depression, TBI, and PTSD. I was lost and felt I had nothing to live for after my wife of almost 20 years left me, saying she was tired of my wheelchair and tired of my service dogs. The short version is, I became strong enough to ride 6 days a week and do 300+ miles a week. The freedom riding gave me made me feel alive again and best of all, nobody realized that I was in a wheelchair. People treat and talk to you differently when you're in a wheelchair. As long as I ride, my legs don’t swell up and they don’t turn blue and purple. I have gotten myself off all my morphine and other pain medicines, thanks to my bike. I have the clear thinking now to control my pain with my mind through exercise which helps with the TBI and PTSD. I used to be a marathon runner and could solve any problem using my mind while running, but once I became wheelchair bound I couldn’t solve problems and pretty much lived in my mind, over thinking everything until I tried to commit suicide. 

Once I got out of the house and was riding with Project Hero Las Vegas Hub and started talking with fellow veterans and first responders, I realized that I was not alone and others thought and felt like I did. My physical issues did make sense, even though some doctors tried to convince me that they did not. My mind and body started to heal, and I found a group where I was accepted and a place I could actually help and be a benefit again. Project Hero was a place I felt normal and happy again.

Even healing after being hit by a truck on my way to my first Challenge, I couldn’t be brought down because my Project Hero family always kept me going and motivated. They even helped with getting me a new bike so I had something to look forward to. It’s with out exaggeration to say that they have saved my life and gave me a new outlook on life.

I will be riding on November 10th to make a difference in the lives of thousands of veterans and first responders, as well as their families and communities. By participating in Project Hero’s Las Vegas Honor Ride, I'm raising funds so that more injured veterans can participate in free, life-changing programs and improve their mental and physical health and wellness, just like I did.       -Patrick Kelly