“I am Frank P. Paradise III. I was injured while serving in the US Army overseas in 2010. I broke my 4 lower vertebrae (L3-S1) leaving me in a wheelchair for over 4 months while I was too acute for surgery and not knowing if I would ever walk again; as well as breaking my face into 36 pieces.”

“In the winter of 2011, I was invited to Crested Butte for an Adaptive Sports winter camp. This was the first time since my injury I had hope again. I was back on the snow with my family and loving it. Fast-forward to January 2019. I was just leaving an Adaptive Camp with Steamboat Stars and my gallbladder ruptured. I was rushed to the hospital, had it removed, and was flown home. Three days later I headed south to Jackson Hole from Spokane, Washington to attend the inaugural ‘Steep and Deep’ Snowboard Camp for veterans with Teton Adaptive Sports.”

“Having been less than a week since surgery and just quit smoking, life at altitude was not easy. A fellow veteran and dear friend Michael Garcia gave me a can of Boost Oxygen to try and ease my breathing issues. From the moment I first used the product I could tell this was going to make camp possible for me. Every time I started to hack and have trouble breathing, I just got my bottle out of my backpack and took a few breaths from it and I was good to go.”

“From that day forward I never hit the slopes without Boost Oxygen on me. Coming from sea level to 13,000 feet with no time to acclimate is rough but Boost Oxygen makes it possible for me. I am also an adaptive sports photographer who travels to different camps to capture images so veterans can have something to remember them by. All my images are donated to the participant and adaptive groups to use as needed.”

Thank you for your service, your inspiration and for your ongoing support of veterans, Frank!

Please find and follow Frank’s photography on his Instagram: @831_photo