Melissa Stockwell
Siskin Hospital announces Melissa Stockwell will be the guest speaker at the 14th Annual “Possibilities: Siskin Hospital Celebrates Life Beyond Disability” Luncheon on Tuesday, Feb. 21. The luncheon will be held from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Chattanooga Convention Center.
The Possibilities Luncheon will feature an inspirational video that highlights a Siskin Hospital patient who has overcome disability. This miraculous recovery story of love, courage, and perseverance shows that with hope, life can be full of possibilities, said officials.
U.S. Army 1st Lt. Melissa Stockwell’s tour of active service in Bagdad ended abruptly when a roadside bomb blasted the Humvee in which she was riding. When she awoke in the Bagdad ER, still in her army fatigues, she realized she’d lost her left leg and knew then her life would be forever changed. And that, she says, “is where my real story begins.”
Lt. Stockwell, the first-ever female American soldier to lose a limb in active duty in Iraq, worked through months of physical rehabilitation, learning to walk again on her new prosthetic leg, and went on to become a three-time World Champion and two-time Paralympian who won the Paralympic Bronze Medal in triathlon on Sept. 11.
She believes we each have the power to create our own story, and that each of us can do anything we put our minds to. She challenges to embrace the unknown, be optimistic, and view the future with confidence. For Lt. Stockwell, life is full of inspiration, even in the darkest of places. She reminds that we can choose our response to the metaphoric “bombs” in our own lives. Her story of the journey from combat in Bagdad to the medals podium on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro is bringing audiences across the country to their feet, said officials.
A dedicated steering committee, led by Dr. and Mrs. Fred Obear, is working with Siskin Hospital staff to help coordinate the luncheon. The Possibilities Luncheon is Siskin Hospital’s only community-wide fundraising event. The proceeds provide needed services for patients without adequate insurance to cover the cost of their care. Siskin Hospital would like to thank Unum for its continued support as the Premier Event Sponsor of the Possibilities Luncheon for 14 years.
Individual tickets to the event are $75. Platinum sponsorship tables of eight are available for $3,000; Crystal sponsorship tables of eight for $2,000 and Patron sponsorship tables of eight for $1,500. For more information or to reserve a place at the Possibilities Luncheon, please contact Donna Deweese at 634-1208 or ddeweese@siskinrehab.org. Online registration and donation opportunities are available by visiting www.SiskinRehab.org.
Dr. and Mrs. Fred Obear