Juan Carlos Hernandez
“When I ride my bike, I feel relaxed. Free. It is as if nothing else in the world mattered,” says Juan Carlos Hernandez, an E-4/Specialist, Chinook Gunner Crewman, US Army. “It helps keep my mind clear and focused. Riding my bicycle has dramatically helped me with my walking and my quick recovery; it has not only helped me physically but also mentally.”
Juan Carlos, who regularly sports shorts with his patriotic prosthetic leg, has gone from mountain biking to riding more than 300 miles in a week at home in Texas and on several Ride 2 Recovery Challenges.
After joining the Army in 2006, Juan Carlos was deployed to Afghanistan in Dec. 2008 with Task Force Palehorse 7/17th Cavalry. He was injured on Oct 13, 2009 while conducting nighttime aerial missions in the valleys of Afghanistan. The aircraft was hit with an RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) with shrapnel penetrating directly below Juan Carlos. His lower right leg was so badly injured that it required a below-the-knee amputation.
He has been in San Antonio Texas since his injury – first as an inpatient at Brooke Army Medical Center and continuing outpatient therapy. He moves quickly; released from the hospital in mid-November and walking with his prosthesis a few days before Christmas. By mid-February, he was back on an upright bicycle and pedaling with his prosthetic leg with no issues.
While doing therapy at the Center for the Intrepid, several of his therapists told him about the Ride2Recovery and their experiences riding in Texas Challenge in 2009. Spurred on by their excitement, Juan Carlos joined his first ride, The Don’t Mess with Texas Challenge, within six months of his injury.
His thoughts?
‘Although long and exhausting, I had an amazing time meeting new friends, riding through cities that I never imagined visiting and making many amazing memories. Ride2Recovery means a lot to me. It has not only helped me physically but also mentally, I love riding my bike, meeting new people and veterans who have experienced many of the same situations that I have.”
“One thing I have learned being part of Ride 2 Recovery is that everyone who joins and goes through our events becomes part of a family that keeps expanding.”
