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Wounded Warrior Project 'Soldier Ride' kicks off in Chicago area
The Wounded Warrior Project "Soldier Ride" kicked off in Brookfield Thursday. More than 40 Wounded Warriors from across the nation were taking part.
CHICAGO - A team of warriors is cycling throughout Chicago and the suburbs over the next few days. They are riding 61 miles, waging a war against PTSD.
Every year, the Wounded Warrior Project hosts a "Soldier Ride" through the city. It's an opportunity for the community to thank our military veterans and it gives them a chance to connect with other veterans and challenge themselves beyond their injuries.
You'll see all sorts of adaptive bikes in this ride.
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On Thursday, they began their ride in Brookfield.
On Friday, they begin in Rosemont and you may see them along DuSable Lake Shore Drive on Saturday.
FOX 32 spoke with a wounded Army veteran who says this ride changed his life.
"For me, I got sick when I was on active duty, I got exposed to something in Iraq in 2008 and I got really sick. It put me in a wheelchair. I ended up being in a chair for seven years and I couldn't even hold a Styrofoam cup on my own. My wife had to help me with everything. And about a year and a half ago, I had a surgery. A neurosurgeon had to put a pump, with a catheter that runs through my spinal cord and that has reversed a lot of my symptoms and I've been able to walk and get around now," said Army Veteran Nick Mateo.
To find out more, you can visit woundedwarriorproject.org.