A Place to Belong: David's Story

“When I walked in the Y, in August of 2013, I felt like I belonged.”
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It was a long road for David. Sixteen years ago, he lost his legs in a horrific car crash. The former paramedic firefighter battled through severe depression, drug and alcohol addiction before finally getting his life back on track.
 
After cleansing his body from years of abuse, David heard a radio commercial about the Y and decided to go the Benbrook Community Center YMCA to see if he would feel welcome. Immediately he knew it was.
 
“This is the place I was searching for. It has spiritually empowered me.”
And with his Y family by his side, he ran his first 10K in the Fort Worth YMCA Turkey Trot race last year and is currently training to run in future marathons as a double amputee.
 
David says the support he gets every time he visits the Y is something that can’t be measured. “I feel like one of the bricks of this building; like I belong.”

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