Four severely injured veterans will overcome pain and adversity to summit Mt. Elbert, the highest peak in Colorado.
The Mt. Elbert Challenge Team hopes to inspire veterans and others who struggle to cope with their physical and psychological scars with the climb on Sept. 15.
“With help from friends, family, and our community, we are developing habits in our daily training that will prepare us for success,” said Mt. Elbert Challenge co-founder and team member Assaf Dory. “We want others to see that they, too, can overcome hopelessness through purpose and community.”
Each veteran on the team struggles with multiple challenges. All have previously suffered major physical injuries. Half of the team has Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). One is an amputee. Another lost a lung to cancer. Some suffer mental health challenges from combat experiences or Military Sexual Trauma.
Team members are preparing daily for the nearly 14,440-foot climb by walking, hiking, biking, motorbiking, and strength training. They are also trying to raise $118,000 to complete their training and support the national nonprofit Challenge America and its efforts to improve the lives of veterans and their families.
“For the team to take on such a large goal, not simply to climb a mountain but rather to inspire others who struggle with physical and mental scars, fills me with hope for a brighter future and that’s exactly the kind of message we all need to hear right now,” said Challenge America’s Executive Director, Dallas Blaney,
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Those making the climb include Dory, who was born and raised in Israel. He served as a staff sergeant in the Israeli Defense Forces during the first Gulf War and Intifada. In 1992, he moved to the United States, where he served as a deputy sheriff in Pinellas County, Florida.
He was injured in the line of duty and is now medically retired. An above-knee amputee with CRPS and 45 surgeries. Dory is also one of the first civilians to have the Ossointergration with the OPRA system, which directly connects the prosthetic to his endoskeletal system.
Shannon Von Driska of Madison, Wisconsin enlisted as an Army Medic in 2006 to care for those fighting overseas. In 2007, she broke her ankle and leg during a training exercise at Fort Sam Houston, Texas but completed 10 miles of a ruck march.
Later, while caring for injured soldiers at Fort Hood, Texas, she survived multiple instances of Military Sexual Assault. The cumulative impact of her military experiences resulted in prolonged physical and mental health challenges. After the fourth surgery to repair her leg, she was diagnosed with CRPS. Von Driska is hiking to prepare for the Mt. Elbert Challenge.
“The number one weapon we have against the inner turmoil of trauma, surgery, injury, illness, and pain on top of life is community,” she said. “Together we become stronger. TOGETHER we can not only climb mountains, but we can move them.
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Dash Wong of Glenwood Springs, was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. As a child, he experienced homelessness while watching his mother struggle through addiction and prostitution. He was adopted as a teenager and pushed himself through academics, eventually graduating high school with honors
Following high school, he joined the Navy, graduating from Naval Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewmen School. He completed four combat deployments to the east coast of Africa. He later completed Navy SEAL training and eight additional combat deployments.
Wong’s training includes hard enduro dirt biking at high altitudes. He walks 14,000 steps a day. He’s also doing strength training with static lifts. Dash’s Message
“Life is full of challenges. I received a few curveballs in my life. The bigger the event, the more I stepped up to the plate to overcome the obstacle. Disabilities make life’s challenges harder, and it can feel crippling and depressing,” he said. “Through community and outreach, coping is easier. When we share our disabilities without community, we can heal and learn to adapt and overcome new challenges that we never thought were possible.”
Steven Fotion of Carbondale, Colorado is a husband, father of four, a life coach, personal trainer, triathlete, competitive strongman, competitive bodybuilder, general contractor, and gym owner.
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He served six years in the U.S. Army Reserves as a water purification specialist. While competing for what could have been his 3rd title, as America's Strongest Master, he suffered a catastrophic injury to both quadriceps tendons.
Due to that injury, Fotion walks every day, including downslope floor work, and is also doing regular strength training.
“I am looking forward to summiting the mountain together, all of us as a team,” he said. “We can get through anything, overcome everything and be there supporting each other the entire way. Things may get tough, but we will be there for each other all the way.”
To learn more about the team and its mission, visit here.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.
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