Andrew Hairston always remembers the words he heard shortly after losing his left leg when he was hit by a car – "you can do everything you used to love to do, we just have to figure out how."
The United States Marine Corps Captain had recently returned from deployment when the accident occurred. He had always been very physically active and prided himself on giving back to others. After enduring the hard work of learning how to become mobile again, Andrew is now the first para-cyclist in Virgin Island history.
"We all have excuses … I just chose not to use mine," he said. "Every day I choose to get out there and get after it."
Andrew takes great pride as one of the 6,750 participants who crossed the finish line at the 20th Anniversary of the Achilles Hope & Possibility Race, which is among the largest road races in the world supporting people of all abilities. The event was on June 26th in New York City's Central Park. The Achilles Hope & Possibility 4-Miler Presented by TD Bank was open to everyone and attracted athletes with disabilities from around the world, including wounded veterans. Andrew participated with a group of fellow veterans from Walter Reed Hospital.
"Seeing veterans be able to be themselves again is probably the most inspiring thing," Andrew said. "It feels amazing to be a part of this, it feels amazing to give back."
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