Ever since Melissa Stockwell was a little girl growing up in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, she was proud of being an American citizen, showed intense school pride at her high school by competing in many sports, and knew that she wanted to join the army when she was older.
After Stockwell graduated from University of Colorado in 2002, she was commissioned in the US Army as a Second Lieutenant in the Transportation Corps. Two years later, she was deployed to Baghdad, Iraq, with the 1st Cavalry Division.
Just months after Stockwell was deployed, however, the vehicle she was driving was struck by a roadside bomb. All she remembered of the incidence was seeing a cracked windshield and lots of blood, and then waking up in an emergency room. The explosion resulted in Stockwell losing her left leg from above the knee.
Stockwell, however, chose not to let her loss set her back. After she saw the wounds and suffering of other patients around her in Walter Reed Army Medical Center, she realized that she was incredibly lucky in comparison. She had three working limbs, her eyesight, and her mind – there was still so much she could do.
When Stockwell took her first steps on her prosthetic leg, 52 after she lost her real leg, she decided that she would regain her complete independence. In the weeks following, after Stockwell had begun swimming as part of her physical therapy, she was visited by the U.S. Paralympics Committee.
Stockwell’s inner athlete rose to the calling. She decided that she was going to become a Paralympian and a paratriathlete, regardless of how much training and time it would take her to get there.
The training was grueling and intense, but Stockwell was determined to succeed.
In 2008, Stockwell was the first Iraqi War Veteran who qualified for the Paralympics in Beijing. She competed on the U.S. Swim Team there in the 100 and 400 freestyle, as well as the 100 butterfly. Since then, Stockwell has taken on triathlons and is a 3X Paratriathlon World Champion.
Stockwell’s most recent accomplishment: qualifying for the Paralympics in Rio and representing Team U.S.A. on the Paralympic team.
While losing her leg was never part of her plan, Stockwell has said that she wouldn’t change a thing because it has taught her the power of her own choice. Life can be difficult in unexpected ways, but everything else is determined by how someone chooses to respond to these difficulties.
