Garrett Kuwada: ELITE ADAPTIVE SPORTS ATHLETE
Kroc Center--Garrett Kuwada is an example of someone who is crystal clear about his why and having relentless drive in pursuit of it.
There was so much background and history to chat about, that our conversation free-flowed for almost an hour. There was a pregnant pause, only once, when asked what kept him going through his darkest hours.
It was his family. His boys.
Even as his legs began failing him, he was determined to never quit, to be a first-hand example to his boys that they could truly do anything they set their minds to.
As you’ll see, Garrett’s life is testament to this one truth: that we have the power to choose, even in the most difficult, dark, and painful situations we may find ourselves in.
Garrett, in 2003
After he graduated from high school, he was back in Hawaii, going to UH. Admittedly, he was “bumming around”, spending more time going to the beach, surfing, rather than studying, for about a year.
But he needed to make money, so he decided to take a look at the military. He investigated all of the service branches and eventually chose the Air Force because of one reason: it had the shortest basic training.
That was 1990.
After basic training in San Antonio, Garrett was stationed in an array of overseas locales: the Azores off the coast of Portugal, Neubrucki, Sydney, Ramstein, and then back to the US–to New Mexico, his only stateside assignment.
I asked him if he liked being overseas so much, and that’s where we’ll pick up our conversation.
Garrett with his three boys
G: I got lucky.
I wanted to stay overseas. I did not wanna go to New Mexico, but I believe all things happen for a reason. Had I not been in New Mexico, I wouldn't be here right now because I had a ruptured brain aneurysm. And the neurosurgeon at the University of New Mexico Hospital invented this contraption.
They drilled it from my skull, and that's what saved my life. I had a right vertebral artery burst and it just filled my skull up with so much blood that had I been anywhere else, I wouldn’t have survived. With that device, they were able to save my life.
J: When was this?
G: That was in 3 September 2016. (He was 46)
My family was here (in Hawaii). My kids were going to Kamehameha, so I didn't wanna pull them out of school with all my different assignments that I had.
And so I was there by myself. And to keep busy, I ended up getting a dirt bike.
A few days before, I had a really mean wipe out but a couple days later, I was riding again. I was riding again up in the mountains with a friend, and I started getting dizzy and a little bit nauseous.
And I thought it was just from the altitude because it's the same altitude as Denver. I started getting a bad headache.
We had a barbecue that afternoon. I went and some of my friends saw that something wasn't right.
I thought–I'm just gonna go home and sleep it off. I had a really bad headache, and I ended up collapsing a couple times and I was rushed to the hospital.
I woke up several days later. I was in a completely different hospital.
My wife was there. My father was there. And then my middle son, who was supposed to be at basic training, was there also.
A family pic in 2017
I was in the ICU. And I'm like, why is everybody here?
And then, the doc said I had a ruptured brain aneurysm, and I could still die at any moment.
I couldn't speak because of the injury and the tubes and everything, and I was thinking, I'm awake. I'm not dying. You know? There's no way I'm gonna die.
LIVING ON ADRENALINE
J: It sounds as though you had a very active lifestyle. What kind of things did you enjoy doing?
G: I used to live my life at 100 miles an hour. Anything with adrenaline.
I love surfing, diving. I snowboarded. I rock climb. I'd go off trail hiking, on my own. No compass or anything like that. And I would just go up.
THE MINDSET
J: So when this happens in 2016, what were you thinking? Where was your mind at?
G: I had so many injuries over the years, and doctors always say, oh, you're not gonna do this. You're not gonna do that. I was like, whatever.
The brain aneurysm messed up my vision, my hearing, my speech, my coordination, all of that stuff. I was learning how to walk again and use my hands again and things like that.
And when I was discharged from the hospital, the doc told me, that's probably the best you're gonna get is what you're at right here.
“And I was like, no. I’m gonna prove them wrong.”
I'm gonna be walking again.
I came close.
And then I started losing the sensation in my legs and kept falling.
Turned out that my spinal cord was unraveling. I guess because so much blood was in my brain, it forced its way down my spinal canal, and blood isn't supposed to be in there. And it caused scar tissue, which caused the spinal cord to start unraveling.
So I had spinal surgery, my thoracic spine. They said that it would stop the progression, but I wouldn't regain what I lost.
So I had to start over again trying to walk and everything, and I got close again.
But my legs started getting worse again, started losing feeling from higher up.
Falling again.
And so they said, we gotta go back in, do another surgery. And then they said they were gonna go up, another four inches to the top of my thoracic.
They said that should fix it, but I started losing again. From here down the sensation is all gone (gestures to a strip right under his rib cage to an area above his knee).
KEEP FIGHTING
J: How do you keep such a positive outlook?
G: Sports. I try to stay active so that I'm not just sitting there thinking about it. And it keeps me going. And also my kids, you know.
Pauses.
“I want to let them know that you can do whatever you put your mind to. You don’t let anything hold you back. Don’t quit just because the going is tough. You gotta keep fighting.”
Garrett’s three boys
And, you know, I've had demons. I've had to deal with my demons. I have PTSD from being in the military.
PTSD
J: PTSD separately from this injury?
G: Separate from this. I used to be able to deal with all the PTSD stuff before because I had complete control of my brain. But since the brain injury, my brain is like scrambled eggs.
It's like all these different film strips running at the same time, and it's hard to focus sometimes on what's going on. But, yeah, I've been in some pretty deep, dark places but I've worked through it.
You know, I had given up one time and I'm not proud of it, but I attempted suicide.
And that's not what I wanna teach my kids.
I wanna teach them that you just gotta keep fighting no matter what, no matter what the situation is.
ADAPTIVE SPORTS
J: How long did it take you to get back to sports?
G: I didn't know anything about adaptive sports. I've seen guys that run with the blades, but I didn't know anything about adaptive wheelchairs or anything like that.
And I was always one that did things on my own, recover on my own and work through things. And when that wasn't happening after that second surgery and things just kept going downhill, I was in a deep, dark place, and I was drinking a lot.
I gained a bunch of weight. I just lost hope.
And my wife and I, we had a recovery care coordinator that talked me into going to this event that introduces you to the different programs that the Air Force Wounded Warrior program has.
And so they pushed me. Hey. You should go to this event.
I said, no. I don't wanna go to that.
I'm thinking, what can I do? I can't do anything. That's what my mentality was...I can't do anything.
But I finally went, and they introduced me to adaptive sports. The event is a competition type thing too. I hate to lose, so I gave everything I had.
I was hooked, and it just gave me hope.
And after I did that, they invited me to the Air Force trials in Vegas, to try and earn a spot on the Air Force team to compete in the Warrior Games, which is a national event.
I thought, okay. I'll go and see what it's like, and I'll try and do good for the next year.
So I went to Vegas, and I was out of shape. But, again, I like to compete.
“Everything I do is 100 percent.”
And so I gave everything, and I ended up making the team (for the Warrior Games).
And then I was like, okay. I'll go (to the Warrior Games). I'll see what it's like, and then I'll try to prepare for the following year.
I went and competed in 14 events, and I medaled in 13.
J: Are you serious?
G: Yeah. I had 8 gold and 5 silvers.
J: Okay. So you are competitive.
G: I am. (laughs) I am.
And from there, they select the US team to compete in the Invictus Games, which was founded by Prince Harry. He came to one of our Warrior Games and thought this would be good for all services.
So he created the Invictus Games, and that's for wounded warriors from all the different services, throughout the world.
NOTE: Garrett was selected as one of 60 elite athletes across all service branches to represent the USA at the Invictus Games in 2022 and 2023.
J: Did you get selected for the US Team because of the number of medals you won?
G: They don't pick just based on your performance. It's your attitude and everything, it's the whole person.
So if you win but you're not a team player and you're just a jerk, and you have a bad attitude, then they won't pick you up for the Invictus team.
The Department of Defense (DoD) holds an annual adaptive sports competition, the Warrior Games. These games highlight the exceptional physical skills and mental toughness of wounded, ill and injured active-duty and veteran service members. Men and women representing the U.S. Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, Coast Guard and U.S. Special Operations Command compete in a variety of adaptive sports.
https://dodwarriorgames.com/about/
J: What was your experience like at the Invictus Games?
G: That was pretty amazing, to compete at that high level and just to meet all the different athletes from around the world.
And just competing on the international stage. It was just awesome. The first one we went to was in the Netherlands at the Hague in 2022, and then again in 2023 to Dusseldorf, Germany.
J: What's your favorite event?
G: My favorite individual event is swimming, and my favorite team sport is wheelchair rugby.
J: Did you play rugby before?
G: No. I didn't. They used to call it murder ball. I think for PC purposes, they changed the name to wheelchair rugby.
And it's 4 on 4, and we have these Mad Max looking wheelchairs, and we hit each other. I love it. I used to play football when I was coming up through high school, and then I played while I was in the air force for a while.
I love the contact.
With Prince Harry on a trip to the Big Island to swim with the Mantas (clip on Netflix), and at the Invictus Games
Garrett’s Medals at the
DOD WARRIOR GAMES
2019: Tampa, FL
Competed in 14 events and medaled in 13.
Finished with 8 gold and 5 silver medals.
Track (wheelchair division 2.0)
200m - Silver/45.083 photo finish
beat Bronze by .003 seconds
400m - Silver/1:23.20
800m - Silver/3:09.78
1500m - Silver/6:17.35
Field (seated 3.0 division)
Shot Put - Gold/6.6m
Discus - Gold/21.02m
Cycling (recumbent T1 division)
Time Trial - Gold/15:11.3
Road Race - Gold/35:55.8
Swimming (3.0 division)
50m Freestyle - Gold/39.76
100m Freestyle - Gold/1:45.16
50m Backstroke - Gold/51.54
50m Breaststroke - Gold/59.43
4x50m relay - Silver/3:02.21
2022: Orlando, FL
Competed in 17 events and medaled in 15.
Finished with 10 Gold and 5 Silver medals.
Cycling (recumbent T2 division)
Time Trial - Silver/2:39.06
Road Race - Silver/34:24
Field (seated 3.0 division)
Discus - Gold/21.37m
Shot Put - Gold/6.4m
Swimming (4.0 division)
50m Backstroke - Gold/48.04 (set new WG record. Isaiah beat it too but I came in 1st)
50m Breaststroke - Silver/54.86
50m Freestyle - Silver/38.04
100m Freestyle - Silver/1:31.37 (broke record along with Isaiah but he came in 1st)
Track (wheelchair division 2.0)
100m - Gold/22.32
200m - Gold/39.91
400m - Gold/1:18.95
800m - Gold/2:56.21
1500m - Gold/5:52.42
Wheelchair basketball--Gold
Wheelchair rugby--Gold
Garrett’s Medals at the
INVICTUS GAMES
2022: Den Haag, Netherlands
Finished with 2 Gold, 4 Silver, and 4 Bronze medals
Track (wheelchair division IT4)
100m - Silver/24.135 photo finish 3rd was 24.137
200m - Silver/43.25
400m - Bronze/1:37.72
1500m - Silver/6:00.35
Cycling (recumbent IReb1 division)
Road Race - Bronze/26:03 came from last place to finish 3rd
Swimming (ISB division)
50m Freestyle - Gold/37.10
100m Freestyle - Gold/1:27.54
50m Backstroke - Bronze/51.75
50m Breaststroke - Silver/53:28
4x50 Freestyle Relay - Bronze/2:18.39 (my split 32:82)
2023: Düsseldorf, Germany
Finished with 2 Gold, 1 Silver, and 1 Bronze medal(s)
Cycling Time Trial (recumbent IReb1 division) - Gold
Wheelchair Rugby - Gold
Swimming
50m breaststroke - Bronze
21 Participating Countries
Australia, Belgium, Canada, Columbia, Denmark, Estonia,
France, Georgia, Germany, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Netherlands, Nigeria,
New Zealand, Poland, Republic of Korea, Romania, Ukraine,
United Kingdom, and USA.
J: What is the most memorable thing that happened when competing in these adaptive sports games?
G: My very first Warrior games in 2019 was amazing. I was nominated by the team to be our torch bearer and being able to carry the torch representing the Air Force team and then handing it off to the Australian team during the opening ceremonies was just amazing.
The events that I competed in were great, I did really well. I got eight golds and five silvers but the most memorable thing was being nominated by my team as the “Heart of the Team”.
Getting that award was better than any of the medals that I won at those games, and overall, is the award that I consider one of the highest awards that I've ever received. It means more to me than than many of the awards that I received while in the Air Force.
J: When did you discover pickleball?
G: It was actually here at the Kroc Center. I was always here practicing basketball because I wanted to play for the Air Force team.
I had to teach myself how to catch, so I was always here, working on my game, and one of the players here kept saying, you should try pickleball.
I'm thinking, oh, okay, thanks. But being in a chair, I didn't know how I was gonna hold a racket. But they kept asking me.
Finally, one day, I said okay. And Brian worked with me through the whole process. We're practicing and then he got me on the court, playing, on the same day.
And after that, I was just hooked. And I've been here every Monday, Wednesday, Sunday since then, pretty much for the last year.
J: What paddle do you play with?
G: I have a Carbon Pickle.
J: What do you like most about pickleball?
G: The thing I like most is it's quick action. It's a team sport, so I enjoy that also. At first, I was just gonna use it to help my basketball, but then I got hooked.
It helps me with my reaction and maneuvering and also my vision because my eyes don't have peripheral vision. I had a hard time tracking the ball at first, especially the speed. And then the fast hands.
It's very hard for me to focus. So I'm always going where I think the ball is gonna go and hoping I get to it. And most of the time, I'm pretty accurate.
So, yeah, I like the way it helps my speed and quickness in the chair, and I think it will help with basketball too.
J: What’s up next for you?
G: I'm gonna start trying to play in some of these tournaments.
There's one here on the 24th I'm gonna try. It's just a small one, but then I wanna try and do the one that they're talking about in April. And I may try to do the one on Ford Island, the Air Museum.
J: Last question. Do you have a motto or some type of guiding principle that you live your life by?
G: I'm just one that never quits. Everything that I decide to do, I give my 100%. I never quit.
What the Games
Really Mean:
a Story from the
Invictus Games
by Garrett Kuwada
In the cycling road race, my buddy Christian Vega, who was an aneurysm survivor, competed with me in the Invictus Games.
I envied him because he was like an inspiration. We had the same injuries, but he was able to walk and he was able to eventually run. And since we both had the same type of injuries we gravitated towards each other and tried to encourage each other.
He hadn't won any any medals at the games yet and I told him he was going to win the gold in the cycling race.
I said we'd work together, I’d lead him through the race and he would just draft off of me. So minutes before the race during our warm up, I took him through a little course in the parking lot. I talked to him about using his gears if there's too much strain on his legs as we're pedaling, then down shifting to a lower gear to make it easier, but to keep his cadence up. We worked on that and then the drafting.
During the race he still didn't believe that I was going to give up a medal for him. But I was like, yeah, there's no problem, brah. He's that good of a friend to me.
Before the race, I snuck my GoPro under my uniform, and once the race started we kept in contact, constantly talking, checking on him and I was using the camera as like a mirror so I could see if he was close enough to my tire when we were drafting.
I was able to talk to him and give him instructions to help him stay on my tire, help him relax and keep his speed at the maximum speed going through the turns. He kept slowing down and falling behind. I told him that he just needed to trust me and keep pedaling and that I wasn't going to let him flip.
During the race I saw how he picked up drafting at full speed. He was able to push himself and I could tell when he was getting tired and I was able to talk him through it.
Then, on the final lap at the last straightaway to the finish line, I pulled off to the right and told him to give it everything he had. I videotaped him crossing the finish line and getting the gold medal.
When we spoke after the race, he broke down and got emotional. He said that it was one of the nicest things that anybody had ever done for him.
He said he owed me, and I was like, no, brother, you don't owe me anything. I don't know why I did it. He hadn't won won anything and it's not about winning medals, but I thought he deserved one. He always tried his hardest at everything he did, and his mom and dad were there.
I know that for sure because his dad was at the at the starting line and we said hi to him from the starting line.
Just to see how proud he was of getting that medal and receiving the medal, that was my greatest memory. Unfortunately, Christian had another stroke and he ended up passing away in February of 2024.
