Frankie's Blog

"Physically, I have pushed my body to the limit".

So I came to be here because I was involved with a non-profit called Wounded Warrior Project back in Puerto Rico, and they talked to me, and they asked me if I was willing to participate in this amazing expedition. And, of course, I said yes! I was more than happy to be a part of this.

It’s been very challenging, not only physically, but also mentally, I guess. Just the simple fact that you have to continue living your life on a daily basis and deal with whatever else you have on your plate alongside the expedition. Most challenging I would say, is trying to keep in touch with my other responsibilities whilst I’m here. Managing the other non-profit that I am a part of. And that takes away a little bit of the time that I have to do other things.

Other than that, this whole walk is just an amazing opportunity to grow, to give back to the community and to spread the love for our veteran community as well.

Physically, I have pushed my body to the limit. To the point where I have had to go to the hospital. Everything is fine, thank God, but it’s just that I’m not in my 20s anymore! I started working on my teeth back in Puerto Rico before the expedition and I was supposed to get a root-canal before I got here, but sadly they weren’t able to finish the procedure, so I’ve been having a bit of trouble with that. In fact, today, I am going to finish this bit of the walk and then go and get a root canal…! And then it will just be a matter of seeing how fast I can recover in order to finish the last 100 miles.

The experience of walking alongside these 5 other amazing veterans, learning from them, seeing the growing process for each one of us and going through all of these different cities, learning a lot of history as well…it has all been incredible. Just being here and being present on this journey has made the challenges worth it.

It takes a lot of courage to stand up for yourself. And that’s what we have to do - that’s what we’ve been doing, each one of us, on this expedition. To those warriors out there who have been following our journey, learn that we have to stand up today in order to get a better tomorrow. But we have to work really hard to get that. I will tell them that, yeah, you may see us doing this great thing, achieving this achievement, but none of this has been easy. You need to do what makes you happy. Surround yourself with people who help you grow and who help you get closer to your goals and who urge you to do better. And learn more about your mental health conditions and others, so that you, in turn, can help others.