Patrick Chammas-THP’s First Civilian

The THP veteran team believed in looking out for all injured Americans. After a long-time supporter personally reached out to the founder and president on my behalf, and after careful consideration with the other veterans, they gave me the green light. I became THP's first and only civilian to participate in the expedition program.

I was born in Los Angeles, California, with an innate passion for music and the outdoors. As a kid, it was virtually impossible to keep me inside; I was always skateboarding, biking, or finding some way to stay in motion. When I was forced indoors, I poured that restless energy into playing guitar, piano, and listening to music.

At 16, I discovered hiking, and it awakened something deep within me. The feeling of summiting a mountain after miles of grueling physical struggle was indescribable. I was hooked. It fed a relentless drive to keep moving, and soon, I was logging around 40 miles a week, mostly in the local San Gabriel Mountains, but frequently traveling north to the Sierra Nevadas.

Then came May 26, 201, a day that changed my life forever. I was heading to a comedy club in Hollywood and waiting at the station to transfer trains. I fell onto the tracks, hit my head, and was knocked unconscious for 11 minutes before being struck by an oncoming train. I woke up in the hospital completely disoriented, trapped in what felt like a living nightmare.

When the doctors explained that both of my legs had to be amputated, I couldn't comprehend it. In sheer denial, I ripped out my IVs, tried to get out of bed, and fell straight onto my face. The medical staff had to restrain me for my own safety, adding to the feeling of being imprisoned in hell. Slowly, the devastating reality sank in. I thought my life was over. I wanted to give up; life just didn't feel worth living anymore.

Two months after the accident, The Heroes Project walked into my hospital room and handed me hope for the first time. They told me that if I put the work in and trusted the process, I could climb an 18,000-foot mountain in less than a year. At the time, I thought they were crazy. But they gave me a path forward when I needed it most.