John Bass Visits WRAMC OT Clinic

On 25 May 2006, we were privileged to have John Bass visit and speak to the Project Healing Waters (PHW) participants at the WRAMC OT Clinic. John has become an avid supporter of PHW, ever since he learned about our program. John is the principal owner of Bass Farms in Spring Hope, North Carolina, and, more importantly, is an avid fly fisherman. What made John’s visit to us so special is the fact that John is a wheel-chair-bound quadriplegic, as a result of a serious accident when he was a young man. Later in life, he rediscovered that notwithstanding his serious physical limitations, he could again fly fish, and does so at every opportunity he can. His message to the audience was straightforward and dramatic, i.e., no matter what limitations a person may suffer, as a result of some serious trauma, if the desire and will is there, then you can succeed at just about anything you set your mind to, including fly fishing.

After his heartfelt and inspiring remarks, John moved on to explain the fishing opportunities at Riverbound, private waters in Lebanon, Virginia. John is a member of Riverbound, and described the fishing that we would experience during the forthcoming outing he was co-hosting for PHW, in early June.

John left WRAMC with the thanks of our members and his own renewed admiration for the courage and sacrifices of our vets.

Ed Nicholson
Project Director