Soldier from suburbs lost her leg in Iraq. Paralympian now helps others find strength.
Army veteran Melissa Stockwell remembers many of the choices she's made in her recovery from the roadside explosion in 2003 in Iraq that took her left leg.
There was the choice to count her blessings for the three healthy limbs she retained; for her vision, her mind and her life.
The choice to pursue her recovery with vigor and learn to walk, run, swim and bike again.
The choice to name her amputated left limb "Little Leg" and celebrate its "birthday" on April 13 every year.
The choice to endure an Ironman triathlon and start a charity that prepares veterans and people with disabilities to experience the three-part race themselves.
"Life always presents us with choices," the Western Springs resident and two-time Paralympian recently told a Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce audience. "We all have the power to choose our own story, whatever that may be. My story is an example of tragedy turned into triumph."
It's also the story of a veteran whose service to fellow Americans has continued after her medical discharge from the Army, through the paratriathlon training team she cofounded called Dare2tri, and her work in the prosthetics industry.
"She's a patriot in the truest sense," said Nicki Anderson, a triathlete herself and president and CEO of the Naperville Area Chamber. "She has helped hundreds of people living with disabilities not only return to the sport but, more importantly, build confidence, self-esteem and a renewed passion for living. What a wonderful gift."
Stockwell, 38, said her story of choices began when she joined the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps as a sophomore in college, two years before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. About a year after she graduated and was commissioned a second lieutenant, she was deployed to Iraq. Three weeks later, while she was riding along to learn a supply route, a roadside bomb caused a crash that severed her left leg and made her the first female soldier to lose a limb in active combat.
While recovering at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland, Stockwell said she made a choice again: to see the strength of other wounded veterans and portray it herself.
"You can choose to see past that devastation and see that resilience," she said.
Soon she was offered the chance to relearn downhill skiing and complete the New York City Marathon using an arm-powered bicycle. Getting into the pool was the step that led her to push herself athletically to her first Paralympics in 2008 and to an Ironman triathlon (total distance 140.6 miles) in 2013.
"A lot of times in life we don't give ourselves enough credit on what we can do," she said.
She didn't make the finals or medal in her first Paralympics, but by 2016, paratriathlon had been added as a sport. Stockwell said she felt immense pride in finishing in third place for a bronze medal, following only other American paratriathletes, and seeing the stars and stripes raised three times on the podium. She also is proud of the top military accolades she's received: the Bronze Star Medal and the Purple Heart.
"But of everything I've done," she said, "what I'm most proud of is giving back."
Stockwell founded Dare2tri in 2011 with Keri Serota and Dan Tun. Since then, she said the organization has helped 500 people - veterans, other adults and children - make it to triathlon start lines no matter their disabilities or physical limitations.
"Dare2tri changes lives," she said. "Our motto is one inspires many."
• Do you know of veterans helping other veterans, doing good things for their community or who have an interesting story to tell? Share your story at veterans@dailyherald.com.