Veteran Athlete Ipo Valdez Talks Story

Valdez was a medic in the Army, and she was excited to go on her first deployment to South Korea at US Army Garrison Yongsan-Casey, in Seoul. 

“When I got there, I was so busy with work at the hospital,” said Valdez. “I was getting headaches -I remember telling my grandma about it- but I didn’t think too much of it because there was so much to do.” 

Valdez remembers going about her work at the hospital, and then everything fades to black. The next thing she remembers is waking up with her brother and her grandmother beside her, which seemed impossible to her because she was in South Korea and -the last she’d known- they had been in Hawaii. It turned out that she had been in a medically induced coma after losing consciousness and being diagnosed with spinal meningitis. 

After being airlifted to Honolulu, and later to Palo Alto VA in California, Valdez was given a harsh explanation of her situation. She was told that she had a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), and that she was paralyzed below her waist and would never walk again. The Palo Verde staff focused on cognitive rehabilitation first, where they tried to teach her coping skills to handle her short-term memory loss. They also taught her how to use her wheelchair. 

“I remember that I’d be doing a task, and I would completely forget what I was doing. It was impossible to do even a simple job because I lost track of what was happening,” Valdez said. “I still have memory issues and it’s still hard. I also couldn’t accept being paralyzed at first; like, I was convinced that I would walk and run again like I used to.” 

Adaptive sports came later, after Valdez had time to accept her diagnosis and to learn to think of herself as disabled. She still tries to move around her home with crutches and other adaptive equipment because she doesn’t want to be wheelchair-bound all the time, but without enough feeling in her legs to use them or muscles to hold her up, it is dangerous for her to stand or attempt to move through a space without her wheelchair. Like most disabled people, she wants to push herself as much as she can, but she also doesn’t want people to think that being able to stand means that she doesn’t need a wheelchair, or that she can walk. 

“I am very grateful for my spinal cord injury team at VA,” Valdez said. “They communicate with each other really well, so I don’t have to explain things to each new doctor or nurse. They keep each other informed, and that saves me a lot of effort because I’m not constantly having to explain things over and over again.” 

When Valdez was ready to try adaptive sports, she found that it was a rush to be able to move fast and compete with other Veterans. Additionally, being around other like-minded athletes who understood her struggles made her feel less alone; it helped her to understand how she felt about her situation and how to cope with the challenges she faced. She began competing in the National Veteran Wheelchair games before the pandemic. 

“I think it was 2018 or 2019 when I first made it out, and it was amazing to meet everyone and to represent Hawaii at such a big event,” Valdez said. “Now, every year is like a reunion. They ask about my wife and want to see pictures of my daughter.” 

Valdez says her wife -Serina-Anne Psion- has been incredibly supportive of her. With the memory issues that Valdez lives with from her TBI, she says she wouldn’t know what to do without her wife joining her at her medical appointments and helping her to keep track of things. Managing her health can feel like a full-time job because of all the different specialists she needs to see, and all the medications she has to remember to take. Between her wife and building routines, she is making her way through her day-to-day life. 

“I want other Veterans like me who aren’t involved with adaptive sports to know that this is an option for them,” Valdez said. “No matter what they’ve been through or how they are handling their health challenges, there are other Veterans who understand; other Veterans who are in the same place that they can talk to.” 

Valdez won a gold medal in the Wheelchair Slalom at the National Veteran Wheelchair Games this year. She also won a gold medal in power lifting. She took the bronze medals in both Table Tennis and Adaptive Fitness. Other events she competed in include Wheelchair Basketball, Softball, and Pickleball. Valdez says that she had a good time at the games, and that she hopes to go again next year. 

If you are a Veteran who is not enrolled with VA yet, call 1-800-214-1306, and speak with member services. If you are a Veteran who is already enrolled and you’d like to get involved with adaptive fitness or recreation therapy, talk with your primary care provider for a referral. Finally, if you are a Veteran who is feeling depressed or having thoughts of suicide, please call the Veterans Crisis Line at 988, then press 1.