About this sponsorship: In honor of the 60thanniversary of Sir Edmund Hillary’s historic ascent of Mount Everest, Patch and Grape-Nuts are teaming up to highlight those who inspire people around them to climb their own mountains.
In June of 2011, Michael Boucher of Bogart, GA, was serving his second tour of Afghanistan, with the Marines’ 2nd combat Engineer Battalion, when he lost both legs above the knees. The man who grew up hunting and fishing, who loved to be outdoors, had to learn to walk again, with the help of prosthetic legs. While recovering, he met fellow amputee Tony Mullis, and they were able to take part in fishing and hunting trips organized by Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. That led to the men founding their own nonprofit to help other amputees have similar experiences and to help them regain confidence and a sense of normalcy.
Here, Boucher talks about the challenge of learning to walk with a prosthetic and about his and Mullis' organization, Amputee Outdoors.
Q: What’s the biggest challenge you’ve ever faced?
A: The biggest challenge I have faced to date was learning to walk again. There were two aspects that were the most difficult. The first was learning to put my whole trust in something that’s manmade and my brain has no ties to it. I had to learn to trust wholeheartedly that the prosthetic was going to be there for me. The second was getting my legs adapted to that sort of pressure and getting them used to the sockets of the prosthetic.
It’s as much mental as it is physical. You have to have that mental ability to push through.
Q: How did you overcome this challenge?
A: I had awesome support from my community and my family. It wasn’t just for myself I was trying to learn to walk, it was for everyone who supported me. As long as you push through it, there will be a better time on the other end. My desire was not to let something ruin the rest of my life. Persistence pays off, and you can overcome anything as long as you put your mind to it.
Q: You were obviously successful, and then founded Amputee Outdoors to help others.
A: The whole idea is to get those wounded vets out and show them: Your life’s not over, you have to learn new ways to do old things. It’s giving back to individuals who have given so much and are maybe struggling with everyday life, not knowing what the rest of their lives will be like.
Amputee Outdoors is doing well. We now have three tank chairs, which are wheel chairs with tank tracks. We’ve applied for our 501(c)3 nonprofit status, so we can get tax breaks for those who donate. We are planning a fishing tournament, and all proceeds will go to Amputee Outdoors. We are going to help as many as possible.