One life at a time

Regular readers already know that we at The Torch are big fans of WO Andrew MacLean and the Soldier On program. Andrew has been posting some fantastic pictures and articles on his Facebook page highlighting the presence of recovering CF members at the 2010 Paralympics in Vancouver. Here's one:

Soldier On's goal is to use sport and recreation as a means to improve the quality of life and optimize the functional independence of military personnel who are ill and injured.

"It's not set up to create Paralympians," says Lagace. "I want to be able to look into the eyes of injured and ill personnel, ask them whether the program has helped improve their lives, and have them say Yes -- whether we helped them to fly fish, scuba dive, become a Paralympian or whatever."

Steve Daniel is the only Paralympian the program has produced so far. A veteran of both the Balkans and Afghanistan, he competed at the 2008 Games in Beijing in rowing after a spinal injury during a parachute training jump.

Daniel said the program is "the single biggest positive influence on my life after the accident.... It changed the way I approached my rehabilitation and influenced where I am going in my second career and life after the military."

How's that for a validation of what you do every day: "...the single biggest positive influence in my life after the accident..."? Awesome.