Opening Ceremony Storytellers: Proving that Anything is Possible
Times are marked. Scores are tallied. But in the end, the Invictus Games isn’t about the results. It is a collection of stories brought together under a single platform designed to bring faces and meaning to the service men and women worldwide who have endured visible and invisible injuries. As the Invictus Games Orlando 2016 kicked off tonight in front of an energized crowd at Champion Stadium at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Kissimmee, Fla., these stories came to life through gripping videos, harrowing stories and visual pageantry. In a ceremony inspired by the development of the Games and its progression, it likewise displayed the steps forward these brave service men and women continue to make every day.
U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Israel Del Toro Jr.
“I am one of the luckiest people on the face of the earth.”
Joined by his wife and son on stage at the Opening Ceremony, Air Force Master Sgt. Israel Del Toro Jr. told a story driven by his competitive nature and his indefatigable commitment to reconnect with his son. Injured in Afghanistan by an IED, Del Toro sustained burns on over 80-percent of his body, lost fingers on both hands, suffered nerve damage to his right foot, endured inhalation burns and spent four months in a coma. Competing for his life was just the beginning.
“I walked into this fight, I’m going to walk out,” declared Del Toro as he recounted his determination to survive combat and remain alive to rejoin his wife and raise his son.
Through endless surgeries and treatments, he has defied the odds to survive, thrive and, now, compete. An active competitor in numerous military and adaptive sport events, Del Toro became the first para world class athlete in the U.S. Air Force. He boasts medals and world records across a variety of sports – including shot put, javelin, discus, power lifting and cycling.
“I’ve always been competitive. When your life changes as dramatically as mine, there’s a chance you might give up. I never let that happen to me, and I never will. Everyone knows if you quit before you start, you’re done. I will never let the guys who set that bomb get the satisfaction that they ruined my life,” Del Toro states emphatically.
Invictus Games Orlando 2016 begins the next chapter for Del Toro. The Opening Ceremony marks a time for celebration in a life that has defied the odds. But at these Games, the competition begins once again.
Royal Marines LCpl John-James “JJ” Chalmers
“I have lived my life to the absolute fullest.”
Life is about living for LCpl “JJ” Chalmers. Regardless of his disabilities, Chalmers has embraced his “new” body. After joining the Royal Marines Reserve in 2005, Chalmers was deployed to Afghanistan to serve on the frontlines with Afghan forces. In a blast that claimed the life of two of his friends, he was wounded by an IED while on foot patrol.
“I woke up a week later in hospital, in Birmingham, and this is where my recovery and rehabilitation began. I have been through hundreds of hours of surgery and have endured months of specialist rehabilitation throughout the years of my recovery. I have been challenged every day, sometimes I have slowed but I have never stopped,” Chalmers declared.
Speaking during the Opening Ceremony, Chalmers described how recovery takes many roads. For him, that means breathing new life as a competitive cyclist – winning gold and bronze at the Invictus Games London 2014, TV presenter and inspirational speaker. Each day of progress in this new adventure is supported by his wife, Kornelia, who lovingly supported him from the floor of the Opening Ceremony.
Royal Marine Louis Nethercott
“You just have to take the first steps.”
In the road to recovery, not all progress is visible. Neither are all wounds. Royal Marine Louis Nethercott does not personally participate in adaptive sports. But the support and encouragement he provides his fellow service men and women promotes meaningful headway in rehabilitation.
“As most of my mates are missing some form of a body part, I tend to go to support them and help out where I can, whether that’s helping them put shoes on or carrying their kit,” Nethercott offers.
But it was anxiety and public settings that Nethercott struggled with following his service. At the Opening Ceremony, he teased he had taken such great strides he now stood on stage in front of thousands…and with Morgan Freeman.
“The Invictus Games can change your life. You just have to take the first steps,” Nethercott encouraged his fellow service man and women and the international viewing audience.