Veterans Find Therapy on Ski Slopes

Wounded Warriors, Veterans Find Therapy on Ski Slopes
By Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden
American Forces Press Service

MERCERSBURG, Pa., March 12, 2010 – Matthew Bilancia addresses the slopes like a man on a mission, cutting and edging his snowboard down the mountain with the confidence and passion of someone who’s been doing it all his life.

But beneath the thick pants and poised facade, the former Air Force senior airman bears the source of his determination: a scar on his right knee that reminds him of all the doctors and physicians who once told him, “Walking would be difficult. Forget about sports and athletics.”

Bilancia was one of four wounded warriors and disabled veterans to participate yesterday in what is expected to be one of the few remaining days of the winter sports season at Whitetail Resort here. He and the others came together with the USO of Metropolitan Washington and the Two Top Mountain Adaptive Sports Foundation to prove to themselves that rehabilitation is more than pain killers and doctor recommendations.

“I’ve been using snowboarding and hand cycling and weight lifting to manage my pain for the past three years,” Bilancia, a New Jersey native, said. “I think by using different sports and athletics, it keeps you from being depressed. It manages my depression and post-traumatic stress. It’s great to able to use those things instead of the medication.”
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Veterans Find Therapy on Ski Slopes