Cherryholmes, Retired Marine and SoldierStrong Ambassador, to be Recognized as “Hometown Hero” by Orlando Magic April 10
STAMFORD, Conn. – Bryce Cherryholmes, a retired staff sergeant in the United States Marine Corps and ambassador for the national nonprofit SoldierStrong, will be recognized as the “Hometown Hero” at the Orlando Magic versus Miami Heat game on April 10.
Cherryholmes served for eight years in both Iraq and Afghanistan where he sustained several injuries over multiple deployments that initially resulted in severe and debilitating chronic pain. A four-level spinal infusion to relieve the pain left him as a T7-T8 incomplete paraplegic with a 5-percent chance of walking again.
With the help of a SoldierSuit, the signature device that SoldierStrong donates to Veterans Affairs hospitals across the country, Cherryholmes has reaped the physical and emotional benefits of being able to stand, walk and enjoy everyday activities. SoldierSuit exoskeletons are used in the rehabilitation of paralyzed individuals who experience mobility setbacks from strokes, spinal cord, and traumatic brain injuries to help them regain the ability to stand and walk again. SoldierStrong, a nonprofit dedicated to connecting veterans with revolutionary medical technology to help them take their next steps in life after service, has donated 29 SoldierSuits to medical facility since its inception.
The Orlando Magic’s “Hometown Hero” presentation recognizes first responders, firefighters, police officers, medical professionals and military personnel who play a vital role in and have made special contributions to the central Florida community. The April 10 game will feature a video of Cherryholmes speaking about his service and experience with the SoldierSuit. He will also demonstrate how he uses the device by walking out onto the court and standing for the national anthem.
“Bryce is a true American patriot. He embodies the absolute best traits of our great nation – courage, strength, and sheer determination,” said SoldierStrong co-founder and Chairman Chris Meek. “The Magic’s decision to honor him is especially inspiring considering all of the obstacles that he has faced and ultimately overcome. I am not only honored to know him personally, but to also have him as an ambassador for SoldierStrong to help us share our mission.”
Meek continued, “SoldierStrong is grateful to the Orlando Magic franchise for recognizing the service of our nation’s heroes, and Bryce in particular, and are humbled for their graciousness in allowing us to share our mission with the team’s many fans. Because of the kindness of wonderful organizations like Orlando Magic, our work delivering revolutionary medical technologies to veterans is made infinitely easier.”
In all, the organization has donated $5.2 million in state-of-the-art medical devices to individual veterans and VA medical centers, including hyper-advanced prosthetics, virtual reality hardware and software, known as BraveMind, to aid in the treatment of post-traumatic stress, and the iBOT PMD ® powered wheelchair.
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