Local Veteran Takes On The Invictus Games
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- Brett Parks – who is competing in the Invictus Games this year – grew up a star athlete at Palmetto Senior High.
"I'm a Miami boy through and through," said Parks.
He joined the Navy to see the world and loved every minute of it. Then one day in 2012, his life changed when he ran toward a scream for help.
"I heard two shots and my first initial response was I can't believe I just got shot and then my second thought was I'm going to die today," said Parks.
Parks was shot while protecting a man who was being robbed. He was in a coma for nearly three weeks. When he woke up, he was confused and scared.
"When it finally clicked, I turned to my wife and I asked her, 'Susan, do I have a foot?'And she looked at me and said 'No you don't'and my whole world just turned upside down right there," said Parks.
"I looked at her and said, 'do you still love me?' and she looked me right in the eyes and said, 'Brett, I didn't marry you for your foot.' So...I was like (laugh) Ok. After that, I was fine. I was like, 'all right, let's get out and do this.'"
Four years later, Parks is a sports star again but he did not get there overnight. It was a process.
"First, let's get out of bed. Just get out of bed and once we conquer that, let's just take a step and once I conquer that let's take two steps," said Parks.
He knew deep down that things would fall into place, but it wouldn't come easy.
"That doesn't mean the person in here is gone. I'm still the same me. I still have the same athletic ability; I just have to adapt it in certain ways," said Parks.
Instead of tackle football, sitting volleyball is Parks' sport and he's good at it. He's part of a team.
"We've been given a second shot in life and we're here to earn it," said Parks.
He stays happy and busy with the people who mean the most to him - his wife and children. He also works with other vets, encouraging them preaching his message that tragedy does not define a person but what they do next does.
"They need to realize that broken doesn't mean broke," said Parks. "As for the veteran that might be watching on TV and he might be broken, he is still in bed wondering what am I going to do with my life....there's a family here, we're a family and we have goals to strive for."
Parks founded an organization to help others called Second Shot Ministry. He travels around the country sharing his story with churches and schools. He says what's key to recovery is setting goals.
