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By Bill Van Tassel
ROME — The Travis Mills Foundation held an open house Aug. 4 at its new retreat center for soldiers who had lost limbs in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The center opened in June 2017 and has already served dozens of amputees and their families since then.
A small contingent of the foundation’s 400 volunteers were present to help with tours, parking and issues related to inclement weather. Several individuals making the tour were in Maine on vacation, including one family from India accompanying their son, who volunteers at the center.
The hillside home is on Long Pond on the border of Mount Vernon and Rome, on the estate of the former cosmetic entrepreneur Elizabeth Arden. The main building has been significantly renovated, and its large space has been modified to meet the needs of handicapped veterans.
In the three years before opening, its founder — quadruple amputee Travis Mills — was busy raising money with his motivational speaking tours. He had help in this quest from his donor relations personnel to solicit the $2.5 million needed to get the retreat up and going in 2017. A large, framed poster in the building’s foyer lists the many companies and organizations generously giving cash and in-kind gifts to the Mills Foundation. The most recent donation was a children’s playground in front of the main building.
The building’s interior has been fully refurbished, with new furnishings, rooms for group conferences, a video theater, a children’s playroom, rooms for relaxation and conversation, a fitness room, a dining area and a bedroom for each of the visiting families.
The facility can handle eight families a week at no charge — a week where the physically rehabbed soldier and his family can be close with other families experiencing the same life adjustments. Every detail in the house has been redesigned for handicapped accessibility. The property has a handicapped accessible lodge near Long Pond and supplies kayaks, paddle boards and related supplies for fun in the water. There are also bicycles and other amenities for children and plenty of grounds for relaxing walks.
A native of Michigan, Mills is one of five similarly injured amputees surviving the loss of parts of all four limbs. He is known nationally and movie/documentary has been produced titled “Travis: A Soldier’s Story,” telling of his life-changing experience in Afghanistan (2012) as a member of the Army 82nd Airborne. The film includes interviews with Mills, fellow soldiers who were with him at the time of his injury from an IED, and his wife Karen of Augusta.
He has written a New York Times bestseller along with author Marcus Brotherton, with the Forward written by actor Gary Sinise, titled “Tough as They Come.” It tells his story from the time he served in Afghanistan to coming home and dealing with the personal emotional and mental challenges of adjusting to a life without legs and arms.
Widely nown as a motivational speaker, Mills serves as an ambassador for the Gary Sinise Foundation, assisting veteranks returning home. Audiences generally mention his sense of humor in his speeches and personal conversations. When my daughter went to shake his prosthetic left hand at the open house, he quickly pulled his hand away, saying “Ouch!” Seeing the look on her face, he added, “That’s the only joke I have that gets everybody.”
Mills gives much credit to his extended family for his recovery.
Some words about him and from him on the foundation’s web page “With enormous willpower and endurance, the unconditional love of his family, and a generous amount of faith, Travis shocked everyone with his remarkable recovery. Even without limbs, he still swims, dances with his wife, rides mountain bikes, and drives his daughter to school. Travis inspires thousands every day with his remarkable journey. He doesn’t want to be thought of as wounded.”
“I’m just a man with scars,” he says, “living life to the fullest and the best I know how.”
PHOTO: Linda and Reginald Merriam of Monmouth have their photo taken with Travis Mills. Mills took time to greet everyone at the August open house of the Travis Mills Foundation in Rome. (Bill Van Tassel photo)
