(gentle music)
- All I needed was someone that could believe in me.
That someone that can see that I am willing to do anything
and everything is possible.
(gentle music)
I literally ended up stepping on an IED.
Stepped on a 60 pound IED, flew up 10 feet up in the air.
I was telling them, I was like, look guys,
this is it for me.
Like, this is where I die.
(gentle music)
I woke up and I knew that I hated myself.
I felt like a failure.
I felt worthless.
I felt like everything that I was doing was a mistake.
I was struggling a lot after I got hurt.
And I think I was struggling more, not because of the bomb,
but because I didn't die.
At that time, I was just looking at myself in a hole.
I wasn't realizing that I could climb
no matter what, you know.
After the questioning of the why me
and not getting any responses, I kept saying,
okay, if this is what's meant to be,
I got to put my best foot forward.
Not every day's a great day.
I wake up sometimes feeling hurt.
I wake up in pain some times,
but for the most part, 99% of the year,
I'm happy that I wake up.
(upbeat music)
Motivation Monday.
A lot of the people that are hip disarticulates
don't ever really get to walk ever again.
Within six to eight months,
I was actually up on two prosthetic legs,
and actually making motions to walk.
I think within a year and a half, I was officially let go.
(Jose groaning)
- You got this, bro. - Come on, dawg.
(Jose groaning) - You got it.
- There you go. (Jose groaning)
Yeah.
- Get it, buddy. (Jose groaning)
Come on, brother.
Keep going.
Nice work, brother.
Keep it up.
(upbeat music)
- Ricochet is my best friend.
(Jose laughing)
Yeow!
- She helps service members and veterans with their recovery
and she surfs.
Ricochet has super powers because she is able to
connect with people immediately
and it's on such a deep level.
Ricochet makes the rest of the world comfortable
when they're around me
and they don't see me as a broken person.
(upbeat music)
Ricochet just reminds the world
that I'm just like everybody else.
(upbeat music)
I'm trying to show our veteran community
I'm here to show you that you're okay.
You know, that we've gone through some (beep)
but we're still okay.
Think about it, I'm (beep) charging for 10 foot waves
and I got one arm.
Like what (beep) sense does that make in the world?
Like if stepping on a bomb wasn't enough,
let me go and try to figure,
like see if I can hurt myself a little more.
I'm crazy, I'm nuts, dude.
But when people see this,
that it's okay to be a little nuts,
that it's okay to be a little different,
then we start doing the, oh, we have PTSD,
we start doing the, oh, it's just life.
(upbeat music)