Wheelchair champion

A Jacob man won two gold medals at the recent 31st National Veterans Wheelchair Games, held this year in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Melvin Henderson has been competing in the annual Olympic-style event since 1993; these are his 35th and 36th medals. His collection includes multiple golds, as well as silver and bronze medallions.

The games are sponsored by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Paralyzed Veterans of America. Henderson is classified as a quadriplegic, although he does have limited use of both arms.

He wheeled himself to victory this year in the 200-yard race against roughly 40 competitors, and came out on top against roughly the same number in the slalom obstacle course. In that event, he had to navigate his chair around traffic cones, up and down hills, across rough terrain, and had to demonstrate his skill in opening and closing doors, traveling up and down ramps, backing up, making u-turns and performing other feats he must accomplish in everyday life.

He trains for the games every day of his life, he said, and hopes to win many more medals along the way.

“I figure I’ve got 50 more years of life,” the 52-year-old said. “I’ll compete until I can’t.”

Henderson said he wanted to thank all those who helped him financially along the way, making it possible for him to travel to the games. But he has a larger goal in making his victories public. He’s hoping his positive experiences in the games will inspire other local disabled veterans to start taking part in them.

Henderson, an Army veteran, has been disabled since a traffic crash in 1987, a life-changing civilian accident that occurred on a “Friday the 13th” that February.

While Henderson appreciates the dark humor in the date of his crash, he doesn’t believe in luck, good or bad.

Instead, he believes in the power of will and the grace of God to changes a man’s fortunes for the good.

“I thank God for ability to do this,” he said. “But I train and I work at it. When something bad happens to you, you can give up or you can strive to go on living. I want to do anything I can to inspire other people to take the second choice.

“I’m not in the military anymore. I got out after six years in the Army, but when I’m doing this, I feel like I’m still serving my country in a different way. I want people who may be discouraged to get to the point that they accept that, yes, you can get knocked down, but you just don’t have to get knocked out. Life still goes on. I thank God for one day at a time, that I can do something and try every day to do something positive.”

Henderson enjoys being a motivational speaker at various events, and offers himself up as a sounding board for his fellow disabled veterans. He said he can also help veterans work their way through the paperwork it takes to receive certain benefits.

He said he enjoys doing what he can to help his peers, and he would encourage all who can to think about getting in on the games. He said participating veterans usually meet a few celebrities and professional sports figures who support the games.

Henderson said travel is provided for an athlete in his or her first trip to the games, but they must meet all their own expenses or find sponsors to help them in the ensuing years. For Henderson, the cost is worth every penny in satisfaction. He suspects it will be so for others, as well.

For more information about the games or other veteran issues, or simply for a listening ear, Henderson can be reached at 850-573-1665 or 850-263-6850.

His postal address is 2317 Magnolia Drive, Cottondale, FL 32431.