LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Manny Rivas questioned how his life would change after an accident that left him paralyzed again in July 2023.
“I was paralyzed in bed. Pretty much bedridden and couldn’t move or go anywhere, and my first sergeant reached out to me and said Peter is part of Forgotten Not Gone and they do cycling,” Rivas defined.
Peter Guidry began Forgotten Not Gone together with his spouse, Kelly. It is a native nonprofit with a aim to “stomp out suicide.”
“The idea for Forgotten Not Gone started in pain. I went to the war-related illness center where the VA sent me over there and one of the resources was recommitted trike that they prescribed,” Guidry mentioned. “When I came back to Vegas, they didn’t give me the prescription, so I ended buying the first 2 bikes myself and an unbelievable reality came true.”
Kelly mentioned what began out as two bikes has grown to over 100 trikes, bringing collectively veterans and serving to them take again their lives.
“We have people come up to us and say my son or my daughter is not a veteran but they took their life and just to give them a hug or hear them out, you know you’re doing the right thing just by giving back because A lot of people don’t talk about suicide,” Kelly Guidry mentioned.
Trikes like these are sports-adaptable gear, making it straightforward for anybody to journey, together with these with disabilities.
The Guidrys are nonetheless in want of funding and extra volunteers to proceed their mission after grant cash ran out, making it exhausting to retain a everlasting area.
“We have about a hundred different bicycles scattered across Clark County, housing our fleet of recumbent trikes, so we’re looking to the community to help us find a warehouse where we can keep everything in one location,” Guidry added.
They hope the neighborhood will assist to allow them to proceed their mission and hold driving, particularly throughout occasions just like the Fourth of July, when a lot of their veterans meet.
“It’s important for our veterans to be proactive, seeing those fireworks, our veterans will be triggered because of loud explosions and things like that but what we’ve learned over the years by us getting together, the veteran trike brigade with our fellow trike commandos, we get out in the community while those fireworks are going on and ride our bikes and have a good time,” Guidry defined.
For many individuals like Rivas, driving together with his fellow veterans has given him hope and has proven him infinite potentialities.
“Once you start seeing progress, it motivates you even more, and that’s where I’m at now, ” Rivas mentioned.
The Forgotten Not Gone Nonprofit is engaged on fundraising efforts, together with internet hosting bike group excursions so you may get an opportunity to journey on one of many trikes, together with wedding ceremony chariot rides as nicely. If you want to assist or wish to volunteer, go to the nonprofit’s web site.
