It was after my second major traumatic injury and fourth extended hospital stay that I began to piece together what would eventually become a nonprofit called Forged by Fire Foundation.

FbFF seeks out and comes alongside those recovering from traumatic injury and disease to assist them with mentorship and the acquisition of resources like products and services that aid in recovery.

Recovering from serious traumatic injury had the positive effect of helping me understand the process of recovery and devise basic principles for a successful recovery from virtually any traumatic injury or the lasting results of diseases such as cancer.

1. The primary vehicle for a successful recovery from injury and disease is attitude. As much as doctors, medicine and therapists, a good attitude and a motivation to conquer the challenges of recovery are key to success.

2. Nobody recovers alone. Family, friends and practitioners who go the extra mile have been routinely credited by injury and disease survivors as their primary weapon in the battle against debilitation and pain. Just as important, survivors must resist people and thoughts of a negative nature.

3. The body’s response to safe physical exertion is to build up tolerances. Just as a muscle that is used regularly becomes enlarged and strengthened, virtually every system of the body will become stronger the more that it is pushed. This is why hard physical therapy is so unpleasant and its results so successful.

4. Millions of dollars are given away every year in the form of grants to survivors of traumatic injury and disease. If you cannot afford the expense of a tool or service to aid in your recovery, it is likely it may be provided to you at little or no cost.

5. If you led a physically active lifestyle before your injury or disease, you have a much greater chance of a full or nearly full recovery than if you led a sedentary lifestyle. Start now.

6. Once a sedentary person has been significantly injured or loses functionality of a body part as the result of disease, the body will react by making any effort at hard physical therapy extremely painful. Your recovery will be decidedly more difficult and painful – but pain does not kill.

7. Faith in a force greater than us has shown to have a significant positive impact on recovery. When we hand that which we are powerless to change over to and are held accountable by a force greater than us, a sense of balance not otherwise within us begins to grow and produce positive results in our recovery.

8. All drugs are addictive, but a responsible regimen of pain-killing drugs is essential to tolerating treatment and recovery. Injury and disease survivors who are on painkillers should always keep in mind that these drugs are a temporary aid in their recovery. There are many resources available to users of pain killers to aid them in reducing dependency at a rate that does not upset the delicate balance between pain management and the need to move off the drugs for the sake of continuing recovery.

The Forged by Fire Foundation is made up of injury survivors and practitioners working to better understand the elements that make up a successful recovery. If you or someone you know is the survivor of a recent traumatic injury or disease that has resulted in significant physical limitations, reach out to us at no charge to you or your loved ones.

On the other hand, if you believe this organization should continue to grow and expand its ability to come alongside the injured to help them have a more successful recovery, please visit our website at www.forgedbyfirefoundation.org and contribute to our cause.

Kevin D. Korenthal is the executive director and founder of The Forged by Fire Foundation a 501c3 nonprofit corporation. For more information, contact Kevin at 661-310-0769 or visit ForgedByFireFoundation.org.