Meet Heath Calhoun
Providing encouragement and counseling for other amputees has become a serious interest for Heath. During his rehabilitation at Walter Reed, Heath became acquainted with the Wounded Warrior Project. The shared experiences of the groups members proved to be invaluable to him during his recovery and later he wanted to so the same for others. So he began sharing his experiences, successes, struggles and the unique challenges that amputees face daily. Eventually, the group asked him to be a spokesperson and now he meets with, and counsels the newly injured around the country. He also became an Amputee Coalition of America (ACA) certified peer visitor. Through this organization he makes himself available to others who have lost limbs and provides emotional and informational support to them.
Additionally, Heath actively works as an advocate for the needs of the wounded soldier. His most notable accomplishment was helping to get the Wounded Warrior Bill passed through Congress in 2005. Known as traumatic injury protection, the legislation financially assists wounded soldiers and their families during the months, and sometimes years, of grueling rehabilitation. During his recovery, he was introduced to various adaptive sporting events and he immediately became an enthusiast. It seems that there is not a sport that Heath is not willing to try and, according to many, in which he doesn’t excel. read more
