Jack Fanning, a dedicated veteran who served as an Air Force Special Operations Combat Controller, has led an extraordinary life filled with accomplishments, resilience, and a strong commitment to helping others. Since retiring due to a traumatic injury that left him as an incomplete quadriplegic, Jack has continued to display his unwavering determination to make a positive impact.
Jack's journey in the military was marked by rigorous training and numerous deployments, including missions in South America, Afghanistan, and Iraq. He was renowned for his dedication to his work and his unwavering pursuit of excellence. In 2010, during an exercise with his elite unit, Jack experienced a severe spinal cord injury that drastically changed his life.
Jack has spent his whole post-military life selflessly helping other Veterans with traumatic injuries through his non-profit, BrothersKeepers (BK). BK’s mission is to provide experiential retreats and profound healing to Veterans and First Responders with traumatic injuries. This ailment has reduced Jack’s ability to attend fundraising events, participate in BK’s retreats, and be the leader than many rely on him to be.
The effects of this wound continue to be profound for Jack.
Jack is an incomplete quadriplegic, meaning his vertebrae wasn’t broken all the way through. This left him paralyzed but he still can feel sensations such as pain. The wound has caused him immense pain for the last three and half years. He is forced to spend all his time lying on his side (on a broken hip) and is in a constant state of discomfort. Currently, he only gets in his chair on the most special occasions. When he does get in his chair, he can only last for a couple of hours and is at risk of further aggravating the wound. Obviously, Jack’s quality of life has gotten extremely low. Living on his side and being in pain has been a great strain on Jack’s mental health. Jack is a veteran of special operations with six deployments to war zones. He already is in counseling for PTSD related to wartime operations and the incident that left him paralyzed.
Being in this situation for so long has put Jack in an even worse spot which makes this specific need time sensitive.
Jack has used his desired bed in recovery at the hospital after he had surgery on the wound. The bed technology proved to heal the wound more quickly and Jack was also able to rest and communicate on his back, in comfort. Having access to this bed for the remainder of his recovery would be life-changing and greatly improve Jack's quality of life.