Adventure
September 11, 2001 was not only the beginning of a long journey for our country, but it was the beginning of my own journey down the road of rehabilitation. I was not only determined that I would walk again, but I would walk normally, and without a cane. There is a Japanese expression that goes, "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." I realized that there are setbacks in life, I just never figured that I would be set back to the beginning.
Tim Wayne Medvetz has always sought adventure. After a three-year stint bouncing in New York City at the famed Honky Tonk watering hole Hogs & Heifers Saloon, Tim rode his chopper across the country to Los Angeles. He parlayed his love of bikes and the open road into a successful career selling and building custom motorcycles for Hollywood's elite at the world-renowned Bartel's Harley Davidson.
On September 10, 2001 Tim was racing his motorcycle through the San Fernando Valley when he was hit by a truck in a catastrophic accident that left him partially paralyzed and fighting for his life. He required 8 surgeries to save his foot, which doctors feared needed to be amputated. Two metal plates and 20 screws were needed to repair his cracked skull. He was not expected to fully recover and walk again — but no one told Tim that.
For six long months Tim struggled to regain the use of his legs and find some meaning in his life. Always looking for an adventure, Tim decided that the best way to recover would be a trip. He quickly found himself preparing to climb Mt. Everest.
After climbing Mt. Everest for the first time in 2006, Tim realized that he could turn his passion into action.
A news broadcast about disabled and disfigured returning veterans sparked Tim's interest. He realized he had something to offer these brave soldiers: the chance to put their lives back together through the challenge of climbing.
He embarked on two major expeditions in the summer of 2009 — to Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania with an injured vet named Neil Duncan and to Mt. Elbrus in Russia with another injured vet named Keith Deutsch.
In 2009, Tim started The Heroes Project, a foundation dedicated to raising funds to help wounded warriors climb the world's highest peaks and find a renewed purpose in their lives. The foundation is predicated on the idea that we can make a difference and change the lives of our wounded veterans, soldiers, and their families - one soldier, one veteran, one family at a time.
Photo courtesy of Laurie Lynn Stark
