One of the ongoing partnerships we have at the Bike Exchange is with the Veterans Administration Hospital in Palo Alto. We regularly donate bikes to the vets and often have some of them visit us on our work days. A while ago I had a long conversation with one of the vets who was working on his high-tech hand-pedaled trike.  It was an impressive bit of kit and he was notable as well.  
 
Today he was back again helping out and I sat down with him for a chat. Kim Y grew up in Hawaii on the Island of Oahu, joining the Army in 1969 where he served as an Army Ranger until 1991, when a combat injury brought him to the Palo Alto VA hospital. While there he hooked up with the therapy program, which eventually brought him to the Bike Exchange.

He has been using the knowledge gained here to encourage other disabled vets to get into cycling for therapy and fitness. Kim rides his trike twice a week with the San Jose Breakfast Group and says riding helps him overcome the demons of PTSD. Asked if he has any words of wisdom he would like to share, he says “Whatever struggles you are going through in life, try something new to help you see things from a different light.” 
His motto: “Laugh, to keep from crying.”