Why Scuba Diving Should Be Prescribed to Wounded Veterans

How a 13 Year Old Started Helping Wounded Vetrans

Cody Unser is a remarkable young woman who was paralyzed at the age of 12. At the age of 13 she did her first dive. It was then that she founded the Cody Unser First Step Foundation to raise awareness, foster medical collaboration and develop quality-of-life programs for those with transverse myelitis, the autoimmune condition that left her paralyzed on February 5, 1999.

“Scuba diving was the only thing that gave me peace in a world where all I saw at every turn was NO.” says Cody.

Read the article below to get a feel for how Cody translates her love for scuba diving to help wounded veterans.

…  Over the long holiday weekend, problems such as the climbing suicide rate reported among service members took a back seat to backyard parties and cookouts. I get it, though. The moment the American flag is raised at a National’s baseball game and the national anthem is performed, there is a strong feeling of collective reflection and respect for the sacrifice our military members willingly make.

But it’s fleeting.

The song ends, the game begins, fans scream and people go home.

Why can’t that enthusiasm translate into action to improve the lives of those who served our country?

….   What I have found is this: You can’t put the ocean into a pill.

The happiest moments I’ve ever had are when I’m 100 feet beneath the ocean’s surface, hearing nothing but my own breathing for 40 minutes at a time. It’s amazing to look over and see my family, knowing that even though they are using fins on their feet to propel themselves through the water – and I use webbed gloves – I am no different physically than they are, a distinction that can’t be ignored on land. Scuba diving allows the body and mind to be free from the mechanical embrace of a wheelchair.

Click here to read the entire article by Cody Unser at health.usnews.com