Move over, Super Bowl.
From now through Feb. 16, the Invictus Games is bringing together wounded, injured and ill service members from around the world to compete in the multisport event in Vancouver, Canada.
Among those participating is U.S. Army veteran Jackson Williams, who will compete in several events, including the Nordic biathlon, indoor rowing, and seated volleyball.
The Afghanistan veteran enlisted in 2010 and was medically discharged in late 2019 after being injured in Baumholder, Germany in 2017 while on a bike ride.
“The base MPs wrote it down as a single-vehicle accident, but the German EMTs who saved my life multiple times and airlifted me out wrote that I was definitely hit by a car,” he said. “I shattered my skull, despite wearing a very high-end helmet, and broke my clavicle, every rib on the left side of my torso, and collapsed a lung. However, the road rash I received was on the right side of my body. I'm not a physics major, but it seems like I was hit a lot more than simply falling off my bike.”
Williams said Fisher House and the Fisher House Foundation stood by him and his family during his ongoing recovery.
“I was a lost cause for a long time, but after being taken out of critical care, my wife was told I would never be able to talk again, walk again, or eat again,” he said. “This was a severely stressful time for her, but Fisher House gave her needed peaceful isolation and superb care in this time. After staying at two hospitals in Germany, then transported to Walter Reed, and finally to James A. Haley, Fisher House stood by her the whole way.”
For years, Fisher Foundation has provided comfort and care for military families during their most challenging times, ensuring that those who have sacrificed for their country have a place to heal together.
“Fisher House Foundation believes a family’s love is good medicine,” said Fisher House Foundation Chairman and CEO Ken Fisher. “We have seen the healing power, of family support through our network of nearly 100 Fisher Houses located at VA and military hospitals throughout the United States, Germany, and the U.K.”
Fisher House Foundation can trace its support of the Invictus Games to before the competition evolved into what it is today.
“It really began with our involvement with the DoD Warrior Games. We learned about the Warrior Games after its initial year, and we're told that only a few families were able to attend,” explained Fisher. “We offered to bring two family members or friends for every competitor so that they could celebrate how far they had come together on the healing journey. When the Invictus Games were created after Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, attended the Warrior Games, we worked to make sure families were included for Team U.S. from the very beginning. The Family and Friends Program became an official part of Invictus Games 2016.”
Fisher House Foundation also sponsors the Natons Home, which is available to all competitors and their families during the Games.
“We also support Team U.S. by providing uniforms for the team, and the spirit gear and transportation for two family members or friends for each competitor to the host city,” he continued.
Fisher House Foundation has seen the healing power of family support through its network of nearly 100 Fisher Houses located at the Department of Veterans Affairs and military hospitals throughout the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom, Fisher said.
“Many of these competitors and their families stayed at Fisher House when they first became injured or ill,” he said. “Now, we have the opportunity to see how far they’ve come on their journey. We bring their greatest supporters, their families, so they can celebrate together.”
In opening this year’s Invictus Games on Feb. 8, Prince Harry urged participants to triumph over a "moment of difficulty and division in many parts of the world.”
More than 500 athletes will compete in 11 different sports over the nine-day event, including winter sports for the first time.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.