Wheels Of Fortune

[Don W]

The smell of burning rubber fills my nose. The sounds of clashing metal fills my ears. I struggle to connect my sense of smell and hearing to my sense of sight. I am watching a basketball game here at the Brockton, Massachusetts VA Hospital.The participants are well conditioned and talented athletes. I watch as they fly up and down the basketball court. The intensity and amount of contact surprises me. Each difficult shot is outdone by another player's score. Swoosh, one guy just buried a 35 foot shot. How I wish I could run out there and display that kind of talent. The defense they play is equally impressive. For the next hour I watch on and off with amazment. Still, I struggle with my senses. How can they play so well? Where do they find the motivation to succeed at such a strenuous sport? I watch as another drives to the top of the key, and over outstretched arms sinks a sit shot, nothing but net. Again, I glance over at the bench to remind myself what I am watching. Clear as day there is a pile of sweat shirts and warm up pants. Only there is something different about these pants causing the confusion of my senses. The unmistakable sight of the legs of players lined the bench. This sight continued to be the source of my confussion. For these weren't the legs of other players waiting to enter the game. These were the legs of the participants. How could this be? Common sense suggests that the smell of burning rubber could be causing my confusion. Confused also? That is because I haven't yet mentioned a key part of the story. I am at the VA Hospital gym cleaning. These players are paralyzed and amputee Veterans displaying athletic abilities that many of us only dream of having. I shake my head as another Hero Veteran flies by, stops and sinks a 20 foot sit shot. I walk away pushing my dry mop. Glancing back, I catch the smile of satisfaction on the player lighting up the gym, as he turns his wheel chair to get back on defense. I walk away to the smell of heated wheels and listening to the clashing metal, realizing that although their legs are on the sidelines, their hearts are very much a part of these proud Veterans.