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“Join this group on a hike or go for a run.”
That’s what Marla Knox Davis, former executive director at the San Diego Adaptive Sports Foundation in California, told U.S. Marine Corps veteran Michael Spivey.
And then it happened…
“Every time we went on a mission, we crossed these canals by going down the bank, through the water, and scrambling up the other side,” Spivey says.
“For some stupid reason, we didn’t this time. We crossed a log over the canal and I had a clean sweep. But as soon as we got to the other side, the blast went off.”
His left arm was so badly injured by the blast, doctor's would ultimately amputate.
It was three days before his birthday.
What would you do?
After his surgery, Michael laid in a hospital bed at Naval Medical Center San Diego.
For the next two weeks...
"And I was losing my mind," says Michael.
"I went from going 190 miles an hour, getting shot at, and in full combat every day, to not doing anything but watch TV."
"One day, I grabbed the IV tree I was hooked up to, and started walking around," says Michael.
"I needed fresh air," says Michael.
"My doctors weren't that happy about this. But I needed to be active, and I wanted to get outside."
And that's exactly what he did when he moved from the hospital to military barracks to continue his recovery.
"Outdoor therapy was a huge part of my recovery," says Michael.
"After an injury like mine, you're going to learn how to adapt a lot faster by putting yourself in real environments."
He adapted, and went on to run a long list of races, including the:
Eventually, Michael was reminded that recovery is rarely a straight line of upward success...
So he hopped in his truck and headed to Colorado to try snowboarding...
"Instead of letting depression take over me, I decided to do one of two things," says Michael.
"I was going to go out there, clear my head and learn how to snowboard or I was going to freeze to death in the back seat of my truck."
His first snowboarding experience was lit...
"I spent my alive date in Colorado with Move United at the Ski Spectacular," says Michael.
"After about two or three days of just snowboarding, it was like I could feel the universe telling me this is where I needed to be."
And the mental toughness he learned in the Marine Corps paid off...
He competed in the:
Fun fact...
Michael met his now-wife Kris on a dating app when he was splitting time between San Diego, Calif., and snowboarding in Colorado.
They spent a lot of time texting and talking. It seemed like a good match.
And eventually, they planned to meet in person.
But it didn't go exactly as expected...
Only Michael's ride from the airport cancelled at the last minute. Everybody else he could think of was busy, so he left Kris an awkward message...
"Hi Kris. This is Michael. I have kind of a weird question..."
"I know we were going to meet for dinner, but I don't have a ride."
"Can you come down and pick me up from the airport and take me to the hospital?"
"Honestly, she's the reason I made it to the Olympics," says Michael.
"I didn't think I was going to qualify. I thought it might be time to just give up on this dream, but she didn't see it that way."
She said...
That's how they built their relationship from the beginning...one run, one challenge, one day at a time.
It's a regular thing for Michael and Kris Spivey, who live in San Diego, Calif., with their dogs...
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