In 2012 at a country concert in Long Island, New York, U.S. Army veteran Steve Siwulec approached a HOPE booth, not knowing that when he walked over to that table, he would join the life-long HOPE family.
Steve, a two-time combat veteran, was diagnosed with both physical and mental wounds of war upon his transition from the Army. Despite his injuries, he never limited himself and committed his life to health and fitness, competing in 10 Run For The Warriors and Team Hope For The Warriors events.
In 2016, Steve underwent open-heart surgery immediately to repair a unicuspid aortic valve issue. During his recovery, Steve’s warrior spirit and determination to run motivated him to set a goal to run a half-marathon with Team HOPE, and he chose to take on the Pittsburgh Half Marathon. Steve worked weekly with our Sports & Recreation team to reach his goals of completing two to three runs a week and consistently completing his cycling workout. With his hard work and dedication, Steve completed the Pittsburgh Half Marathon in 2017. Team HOPE allowed him to set goals for his physical fitness and connect weekly to assess and restructure his training regimen, giving him the mental conditioning and motivation he needed to reach his goal.