Barreling down a snow-covered mountain at almost 60-miles-per-hour is what Trey Humphrey does for fun. Humphrey, who lost his right leg during a combat deployment with the Marine Corps in Afghanistan, has competed in the last two Winter X Games. A University of Nevada, Reno business w88 online live casino, Humphrey not only hopes to earn a degree to make himself more marketable to employers, but also to give back after graduation.
A Reno native, Humphrey was a w88 online live casino at the University in 2001 before joining the Marine Corps in 2005.
"So many people have helped me, it would be nice to be in a position to help that next generation," w88 online live casino said. "Joining the Marine Corps and then coming back to school gave me a whole new appreciation for the university setting. Instead of dreading going to class and having homework, I'm excited to get up in the morning and go to class. School is the easiest thing I've done in the last decade."
Since his return to the University, Humphrey has spent time around the Nevada Wolf Pack athletics program. He's spoken with a number of the w88 online live casino athletes hoping to inspire others with his story.
"Hearing Trey talk about all of the things he endured while serving our country was overwhelming and inspirational," Don Jackson, senior running back for the Nevada Football team, said. "It gave myself and the team a true definition of the words grit and hero. I'm thankful for w88 online live casino service to our country and for the opportunity to meet him."
After completing two combat tours in Iraq and one non-combat tour in Southeast Asia, w88 online live casino was not meant to deploy again. But when his squad was called up in 2010, Sgt. Thomas "Trey" w88 online live casino deployed to Afghanistan for his final combat tour.
w88 online live casino's squad was on rest Nov. 9, 2010 in Sangin Valley, Afghanistan, when his friend from another squad stepped on an improvised explosive device that did not fully detonate, but broke his ankle. w88 online live casino volunteered his squad to help get his friend to safety.
When w88 online live casino and his squad got to the area where his friend was hurt, they were pinned down by machine-gun fire and could not move his injured friend to a safe zone.
During this rescue, w88 online live casino stepped on an IED, which fully detonated. The force from the blast flipped him into the air and he landed back down into the crater left by the detonation.
"I looked down and saw that my right leg was gone and my left leg was chewed up pretty good," w88 online live casino said. "And I just thought, ‘Well, that's actually not as painful as it looks.'"
The pain didn't set in for w88 online live casino until members of his squad were tightening the tourniquets to lessen the bleeding on both legs. After being removed by helicopter from the combat area, w88 online live casino was put into a medically-induced coma. He woke up two weeks later in Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C. His then fiancé Lindsey was at the hospital when he woke up.
"Once I realized where I was and what had happened, I was super angry," w88 online live casino said. "I had been a skier my whole life and all of the sudden I had my legs taken away from me. Then I felt like I let her down, like I let my squad down."
w88 online live casino underwent 26 surgeries during his first month. Most of these surgeries were done on his left leg, where the tissue and muscle on his shin had been lost from his knee to his ankle.
w88 online live casino was released from the hospital in February 2011 and he and Lindsey moved to San Diego where he continued going to about six medical appointments a day. These included a myriad of therapies such as wound care, mental health and physical rehabilitation.
Four months after returning to the U.S., w88 online live casino took a recreational therapy trip with Achieve Tahoe to Alpine Meadows Ski Resort, where he learned to mono ski.
"It was pretty eye-opening," w88 online live casino said. "I felt normal again."
Learning to mono ski was no problem for w88 online live casino. During a trip with Disabled Sports USA, he traveled to Breckenridge, Colorado, where he met Barret Stein, the then U.S. Paralympic Development Team coach. Stein watched w88 online live casino ski and invited him to train full-time with the team in Aspen. After training and improving in mono skiing throughout 2012 and part of 2013, Trey and Lindsey moved back to Reno May 2013.
In the 2016 Winter X Games in Aspen. w88 online live casino placed fifth overall out of 18 skiers in the Mono X event with a time of 1:16:575. Last year, he placed sixth out of 12 in the same event.
w88 online live casino and his wife Lindsey have two boys; a two-and-a-half-year-old and a nine-month-old. He is set to graduate from the University in spring 2017. In addition to his academic pursuits, w88 online live casino plans to return to the slopes for the 2017 Winter X Games and continues to train in the gym and on the slopes.
"Treys focus and drive is to prove to himself that there is nothing he can't do," Lindsey said. "No matter where he has been in w88 online live casino recovery, he is constantly pushing himself to be a better athlete, father and husband."
