BONUS Throwback Episode - Heath Trepanier Interview from January 2019

Heath Trepanier- Resilience is making mistakes and coming back from them

In January of 2017, US Air Force Technical Sergeant Heath Trepanier (“Trep”) was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer when a cantaloupe-sized tumor was found in his abdomen. He continues to exceed the doctors’ expectations and was recently able to travel to Hawaii for an Air Force Wounded Warrior event.

Trep has a very realistic, but optimistic outlook on his life.  His illness has provided him with a new perspective of life and taught him to be resilient. Rather than taking things for granted, he is now more intentional about leaning into his family, friends, and faith for the support he needs as he approaches each new challenge with the intention to learn from it and make the best of what is presented to him.

Recognizing that everyone has their own struggles, he encourages everyone listening to be the best they can be, lead by example, and follow through on the goals they set. Trep emphasizes the importance of being involved in a community and having friends to hold you accountable and encourage you to carry on.

Show Notes:

• Trep discusses overcoming challenges and what resilience means to him (3:33)
• Important skills that will help you face hardship (6:01)
• How the Air Force Wounded Warrior project has helped Trep (8:30)
• The benefits of lessons from his childhood in developing mental toughness (10:28)
• Trep’s words of encouragement to a teammate after their basketball game (13:00)
• What perseverance looks like when lived out (14:54)
• Other wounds that veterans deal with but society doesn’t understand (16:00)
• How Trep has turned trial into triumph (17:43)
• What Trep’s billboard would say (22:09)

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Cancer may have started the fight, but I will finish it. GotCancer.org. In January 2012, I arrived at my new duty station and began working a new job shortly after. It was during this time that I met a guy that is truly one of the kind. Heath Trapanier. Over the course of the next couple years, we work shifts and even deployed together. As a result, I formed a bond with someone I am proud to call my friend. In early 2017, I was informed of horrible news that my friend Heath Trapanier was diagnosed with cancer. My spirits were quickly lifted, in large part to Trepp's attitude. As he stated, Cancer is battling with me. Here to talk about strength and perseverance as my friend Heath Trapanier.

SPEAKER_01 0:42

How's it going? Very good. Thank you for uh coming out today and uh uh meeting me out at the uh Air Force Wounded Warrior um event out in Hawaii for the uh healing event here and the resiliency event. Um I appreciate just taking the time to come out and and visit.

SPEAKER_00 1:00

No, we're actually recording this right now on a second floor of the Sheraton Hotel, and if we look outside, we can see the beach and the oceans. That is that pretty sweet.

SPEAKER_01 1:08

It is, and uh just a view and what Hawaii has to offer. Uh the sun, the sunshine is absolutely fantastic. The environment and uh just the spirits of the people around you is is uh really high in energy.

SPEAKER_00 1:21

I'm not gonna ask you about the Seahawks, and I know I asked you about that the other day, and that was a little bit of a sore subject. All right, so you found out in August 2017 of the cancer. Talk about TREP prior to that, who you were as a person, and talk about TREP since August 2017.

SPEAKER_01 1:37

Well, I'll have to back you up a little bit. Um, I was actually diagnosed or I found out that I had uh a tumor growing in January of 17. Um I started um my battle. Uh they said I had a mass about the size of a cantaloupe in my pelvis. We did some local testing in Anchorage, Alaska upon them sending it out to the Mayo Clinic and some other clinics for second and third opinions. Um Alaska knew they couldn't couldn't support it. The decision was made to send me out to uh Brooks Army Medical Center in San Antonio to meet up with some of the military specialists, and we also made the choice to go there as well because of the uh Warrior and Family Support Center for not only the the secondary part of the care, the the resiliency part and the uh the emotional support when you're faced with some sort of injury. The person I was before that date, I've really been the same person my whole life, but um you take a lot of things for granted. You never think about time, you never think about the experiences that you've had or the people you've met. Sometimes you just don't put in perspective the uh the opportunities you had and you take it for granted. Um after getting diagnosed with cancer, you know, life life really hits you uh up front and and hits you head on and you and you gotta make a lot of decisions on where you want to go and who you want to be and and how you want you know people to remember you and your family and how you're gonna prepare them for what's next.

SPEAKER_00 3:09

Were there any any source of support that you didn't expect?

SPEAKER_01 3:14

Yeah, I mean you have people around you that that you'd never think uh you'd become best friends with and you and you end up becoming best friends, total opposites. And then there's also people there that you thought would support you and and and didn't. Um you lean on the strength of your family and and your faith and what you believe in and the different support groups around you, and you learn um what life's really made about and and and how you would want to be supported, and you learn how you overcome the different challenges that are that are faced ahead.

SPEAKER_00 3:47

So now you you kind of opened up a little bit about your past from when you first found out uh in January 2017. So, how how has your view and perspective changed of the word resilience? Is that something we always hear in the military?

SPEAKER_01 4:02

We it's just the ability to bounce back. We always get pulled into these resiliency day meetings and briefings or or resiliency day, and um a lot of us are dragging through it because it's things that we don't want to do. Um but resilience can be in other forms, it can be in other strengths and and other uh you know other efforts. Um it's just being the ability to bounce back, it's it's how people around you help help you bounce back too because it's not a um you you know you don't face the battle alone. You you face it with friends and family and peers um and and people you meet in life. Um you know, resilience is just how you're gonna handle it. And you make mistakes. You know, that is being resilient, it's making mistakes and coming back from them.

SPEAKER_00 4:45

Yeah. You feel like you've learned a lot about yourself and your own resilience over the past couple years.

SPEAKER_01 4:50

You well, this week in in general, um, you know, I didn't think I could come out and do something um to this this level of effort due to my immune system being worn down and um you know having cancer spots throughout my body. Um but I just fed off the energy of the people around me and uh the team leads here. And um this is truly adaptive sports. They adapt to the the, I guess you could say, disabilities that that you're faced with, but really they make you able to do it again. And so there was things that I couldn't perform in just due to uh the injuries that I have, um just out of you know wanting to preserve your body, but other things you're able to push your energy and and just keep going. And uh it was just act it was really fascinating to see how much you can push yourself.

SPEAKER_00 5:40

What skills do you think are important for people to develop to just combat this hardship or any type of trial and tribulation in their life?

SPEAKER_01 5:49

Um just facing it head on. I mean, um there's no right or wrong on how you're gonna do it. You learn it as you go, and your friends learn it as they go, and same with your family. Um there's no right way to hit cancer, there's no way, no right way to hit an amputation or a loss of a loved one or a divorce. You just gotta go into it with an open mindset and be thankful for what you got and and just move forward. I mean, it's just all about um making the best of what you're hit with. Um I believe we're all given um ailments and and experiences that we have to face in life. You know, we're we're all able to handle different things, and um, for me, handling you know, a stage four cancer diagnosis um is what I was designed to handle.

SPEAKER_00 6:40

You talked about getting support from your family and friends. It's probably common where people are like, hey, what can I do for you? or you're my thoughts, you're my prayers, the uh the usual stuff, right? But what specifically did you want and and what has helped you during these uh during this time over the past couple years?

SPEAKER_01 6:57

You know, at first I really didn't know what I wanted. The outpouring was was overwhelming um by people wanting to be there. Um specifically, I think about my young troops that that stepped up and um helped out uh my mother-in-law at the time to help take care of my boys when I was in treatment. Guys that can't even afford their own bills, you know, and still stepping up and dropping off gift cards and and things for my boys was absolutely fantastic. You just over time you develop what you need, and it's just people being there. Um you learn that being able to talk to somebody and have them listen, they may not understand exactly what you're going through, but they're just that ability to listen and and try to get you to to open up about what you're going through is is really what you want, you know, when you're going through a battle like this.

SPEAKER_00 7:48

You mentioned it at the beginning of the podcast, you talked about the Air Force wounded warrior. How have they specifically helped you during this time?

SPEAKER_01 7:56

They've opened up a lot of doors as far as meeting other people. You know, the the Air Force is stepping ahead and doing um this to help, you know, care beyond uh duty. Um they're trying to help you on the other end of your service commitment. Um being an airman is a lifelong uh commitment. You know, whether you do four years, six years, or thirty, um, once you get out, you're still an airman. We still have that common bond with our other brothers and sisters that uh have battled with us. Um right now the the biggest thing is I was finally able to do to do one of the resiliency and care events here. Um I I got a three-month break to where I didn't have to go to do chemo or immunotherapy or radiation, so my immune system had recovered enough to come out and and be a part of the mentorship program that they offer. They also offer the ambassador program to help get you more involved and speak about your illnesses and your battle. Um but I took part this week in the athlete program, and it was getting me into recumbent bikes, shooting air rifles, air pistols, archery. Uh they had adaptive sports as far as uh wheelchair basketball and rugby. I mean, just things that uh help get everybody on an equal playing field to get them out enjoying and making you do things that you never thought you could do before.

SPEAKER_00 9:13

You said adaptive sports for wheelchair basketball and wheelchair rugby. I I I happen to watch those events in support of you. Like that was more like combat. Come back a minute. I was thinking those games are getting pretty physical.

SPEAKER_01 9:23

Yeah, they're they're pretty uh they're pretty heads up and aggressive, and there's a lot of uh a lot of crashing and banging of the chairs. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And uh it's it's really just a great time to come out and work with these guys that that put their heart and soul into the wounded warrior program. Uh and a lot of these guys are Olympic athletes, uh Paralympic athletes as well that come out and support us.

SPEAKER_00 9:48

Sharp, you're one of the toughest people I know. And I've always felt like vulnerability equals strength, right? Strength is more than like how much people can bench press in the gym. So again, you're one of the tough toughest uh toughest people I know. Where does your mental toughness come from?

SPEAKER_01 10:03

I don't know how to answer that one fully. I mean, I have what I believe in. You know, I I I have a lit relationship with um you know with my God and in in and a full strength from you know my relationship there, but also just the experiences and the people I'm around. My parents had a big part. You know, I grew up in a um, I mean, I grew up in a good environment, but I grew up around um some different um challenges growing up uh I from a split home for a while and uh we faced some um just different challenges that that typical families aren't aren't in. And uh my parents have a big part in my life as far as just developing the hard work and and being strong and and trying to bounce back.

SPEAKER_00 10:47

As you've gone through whether surgeries or chemotherapy or just therapy in general, and as you move forward with your life, was there anything you learned from your childhood that helped you persevere during this time of your life?

SPEAKER_01 11:00

Yeah, just putting in the hard work. Um my mom's probably one of the hardest people on me as far as um, you know, no pity party. She has cancer as well, and uh, we both uh have battled some uh you know the the facing of given a terminal illness, hey, you have you know X amount of months to to a year to live. Um just being able to uh bounce back, she just, you know, she'll let you have your pity party for a day or two, and uh, and then she you know always tells you it's time to to buck back up and and get after it. And it was the same here, you know, hey, now that your your divorce is almost final and and you're you've been given a second chance with with some of your timing and and a VA retirement and being part of the program, just get back after it and and make the best of it and uh and try to move forward. She always harps on my weight too, so that's a little plug. I'm sure my mom will hear the the the podcast at some point, but we're just given a second chance to get back after life and enjoy it. And um, if we don't take advantage of it, you know, we're wasting time that we're given.

SPEAKER_00 12:12

I want to kind of go down that rabbit hole a little bit. You said so yesterday I had uh the team that I've that I oversee that I manage, I brought them to uh Trepp's events in support of the Air Force Wounded Warrior, and we got the opportunity and um the pleasure to watch Trep and his teammates play basketball and and rugby. Afterwards, I asked that Trev's team come out and just provide a little inspirational message and for each one of Trep's teammates to talk about their own personal experience and what uh some triumph they've or some tragedy that they've faced. But Trep, there was something you said to your first sergeant. Do you know what I'm talking about? I do, right? Yeah, I want you to see because that was that that was that was amazing, uh thing that uh you told him. So if you if you could just share that.

SPEAKER_01 12:54

Yeah. Um basically I just had the conversation after he had his open heart surgery that you know that I was given a terminal sentence, and and and you're given a second chance with your heart surgery to get back after it, you know. You know, I got time left, you know, we're all terminal at some point. Um but you know, my life in in theory will be significantly shorter, and I, you know, I just wanted him to get back after it because he was given a second chance when they when they worked on his heart and brought him back to life. And um you know, I just wanted him to make the best of it and get after it too. So, you know, but he's brought inspiration to me as well. I mean, um this is what the military is all about uh and the different leaders that you meet, and uh you know, all the inspirational quotes that uh you know, when you want to remember them, you can't, but you know, leaders have a way of pushing others to be better when they take care of their people.

SPEAKER_00 13:49

That's awesome. That's definitely gonna be quoted. So, what is what is your advice to people on how to persevere, and is that something that can be taught?

SPEAKER_01 13:56

I don't know necessarily if it can be taught, but it can be done by example. Um, I mean we all persevere in life. Um, it's just how we do it. And like I said earlier, there's there's no right or wrong way to to to handle something because you're gonna learn from it as you go. Um but you just want to kind of think things through and and and try to set some goals on where you want to go and and how you want to battle. You gotta have good friends around you that will be honest with you, um, that'll hold you accountable and be there for you no matter what you're gonna face. But yeah, perseverance is just you know, overcoming it and and and continuing the battle, and and we all can do it. We all have it in us. It's just how we get to that point of overcoming our battle.

SPEAKER_00 14:41

So I mentioned earlier um a few minutes ago about had the opportunity and the pleasure and the honor to meet some of your teammates with the Air Force Wounded Warrior. And it seemed like everyone had different stories, right? Whether it's uh some type of uh illness or shrapnel, something from uh Iraq or Afghanistan. I think it's commonly known that war can cause physical wounds, but something that's that is easily overlooked are other ones. For example, emotional, mental, and other forms of invisible wounds. What can society do to help those, to help heal those wounds?

SPEAKER_01 15:19

Well, it it starts off by not judging the cover, you know, the book uh by its cover, just because you don't look ill doesn't mean that you don't have something going on, and you need to be open to the emotional recovery and and programs that are out there. Uh PTSD is a very um a very strong illness and and alters your lifestyle and and who you are. Um it's another unseen is cancer and MS. You know, they may have some physical signs at some point um on the exterior, but the the battle that you're facing inside your body um is is very intense. So it's just being open to, you know, illness just an injury doesn't mean um just by the look of you. So it's just being open and and the ability to listen and and to understand that you never know what somebody's going through just by looking at them. You know, it's the the things that you see um doesn't define the person that you have to actually listen to them and get down uh to the details, you know, because they may just be struggling emotionally or they may have lots of trauma from things they've seen from the from our different battles that we've faced and deployments and and temporary duty assignments and and miss missions that we've been asked to do.

SPEAKER_00 16:37

How have you turned this kind of personal I don't want to say tragedy, because I don't feel like it is a tragedy, but but with maybe this this trial and tribulation in your life, how have you turned that into triumph?

SPEAKER_01 16:49

For me, it's just uh I've got to meet so many amazing people through this um illness or experience, whatever you want to label it as. Um, you know, and and have helped redefine who I am and and and get comfortable in my own skin again. Um I can do things on my own. I've I've picked up things that I like to do now or I want to do. Um now that I found out that I can do it. Um it was just the the absolute honor to meet so many different uh people that are battling just like me that made me feel accepted. Um whether they had a uh lost a limb due to you know an ID blast or PTSD from the effects of war or MS or whatever the illness may be, you know, just the people I've met along the way has made every minute of my suffering worth it.

SPEAKER_00 17:43

What's something people would be surprised to learn about you? Or is maybe just new or was there something over the past couple past couple years that you were surprised to learn about yourself?

SPEAKER_01 17:54

Um, I mean it I just learned a lot about myself, uh, just daily. No, I mean there ain't anything out there that would probably surprise anybody. I do I do like ballroom dancing. I did take that back in Ohio, but uh, you know, it wasn't uh I don't have the best rhythm.

SPEAKER_00 18:12

That explains your footwork on the basketball court.

SPEAKER_01 18:14

Yeah, I'm a little bit better on the court than I was on the on the ballroom floor, though.

SPEAKER_00 18:18

Just for everyone listening, just to further validate what Trepp said earlier, never judge a book by its cover. No offense, but you don't strike me as someone who looks like they can play basketball. I love you, Trep, but let's be real here. Let's keep it 100. However, when Trepp and I were deployed together, we used to have some pretty intense basketball games, and uh our nickname for him was I think Twinkle Toes.

SPEAKER_01 18:38

Twinkletoes and Big Baby D.

SPEAKER_00 18:40

Big Baby Twinkletoes Trep.

SPEAKER_01 18:43

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 18:43

Does Chief Wright know that?

SPEAKER_01 18:44

Oh, I'm sure he does.

SPEAKER_00 18:45

Twinkletoes? Just on a wider note. Trep, I've known you for like five years now. Actually, going on seven.

SPEAKER_01 18:53

Yep. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 18:54

January, February 2012, so it's been a while. You're a guy who likes to have a good time and joke around a lot, and and someone who likes to take maybe a bad situation and try to make it into a lighthearted one. What are some of the awkward questions you get? And do you ever it's a two-part question. Alright? Are you ready? I'm gonna repeat the first part. What are some awkward questions you get and do you ever mess with people or have a funny story?

SPEAKER_01 19:21

Um, yeah, I mean, I mess with people all the time. Awkward questions, I mean, people are always asking about my tumors and stuff or the surgeries. But when I mess with people, I just did it on the plane the other day. I I told the gal that, you know, I was telling her about my illness because we were talking about um life, and and I told her that if I happened to die next to her not to push me down in the between the seat, and about 20 minutes into the flight, I I pretended to to kind of crash out and I laid my head on the on the armrest like I like I'd passed away. So sometimes I can make people really uncomfortable with it, but you know, I just try to embrace it and go forward. I mean, you know, it it it's my story. It's um you know, I'm the one that has to battle with it. Um so I just try to I just try to make it, you know, as lighthearted as I can at times. I mean, there's there's days that are very tough. Um my close friends tell you, you know, that I have my bad days too, you know, and the smile's not always there.

SPEAKER_00 20:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:19

You know, I'm known for always having a smile on my face, regardless of the situation. Um, but there's, you know, I I'm like anyone else. Uh you know, I have my bad days, and that's what your your friends and your family and your faith is for. Is you know, it's just bouncing back. Um, like we talked about resiliency. It's just the ability to to get over your pity party for the day or two days or however long you gotta do to get back up on that saddle and go again.

SPEAKER_00 20:47

I have one last one last question for you. And this is something I ask every single guest that I have on my podcast. If you if there was a billboard of your beautiful face, all right, so billboard on whatever highway, interstate, yeah, wherever you live, or uh something you drive by every day, and something thousands and maybe hundreds of thousands of people drive by every single day, and they see a giant billboard with your picture and your message on it. What would you want that message message to say?

SPEAKER_01 21:18

You know, I don't know if I'd have anything on it. I think I would just have my smile. I think I'd just leave everybody with a smile moving forward, just so they had something to brighten up their day.

SPEAKER_00 21:29

That's that's awesome. I can't.

SPEAKER_01 21:31

That's just me, man. I that's I'm not a man of uh the most uh educated words, so for me it was just it would just be me smiling up there.

SPEAKER_00 21:40

It's awesome. I could also just say trap, and I feel like people know.

SPEAKER_01 21:43

They they would probably figure it out.

SPEAKER_00 21:44

Yeah, dude, that's beautiful. I love that. Your podcast's famous now. Yeah, your words your words and your message will go on forever.

SPEAKER_01 21:52

That's awesome. I I really appreciate the opportunity um to just uh not only know you, um to deployed with you and and and got to enjoy meeting you downrange. Um, you know, when you deploy you get a more intimate uh understanding of of who people are and who your brothers and sisters in arms are. And I'm just really blessed to have the opportunity to continue to know you and and uh never thought I'd run into you again in the service, you know, and this is awesome. You know, coming out here to support the AFW2 program, you know, to be able to throw a little plug for them is is fantastic and and I really appreciate it. And uh you know for for people that that will listen to this at some point try to take take time for a local warrior. You never know what they're battling you never know what they went through. Be there for them buy them a cup of coffee take them to lunch sometime share your life experiences because you guys also have something to offer as well and then and and just listen to a local vet for for a little bit and get to know them because they've probably been all over the world they've been in situations that that you may have never faced or never even imagined possible and they have a lot to offer to you not only as a friend but as life experience.

SPEAKER_00 23:13

I know it's been a tough time but your your positive attitude is something to be admired and I I just uh I hope if I were ever and if I were ever to be in this situation as you'd like to have half the positive energy and attitude that you have just because it's it's it truly is inspiring.

SPEAKER_01 23:29

I appreciate it. If I can take one more quick second to make a plug for uh cancer research um there's a lot I know you see the the St. Jude's commercials and uh your different local cancer centers that offer up um support and their stuff but please if you if you have the means of donating to um find out from a local person that that it's touched your life or you've been around that whatever type of cancer they have um if you're able to donate or um give even time going down to a cancer center to help out um the people they really appreciate it.

SPEAKER_00 24:04

Alright everyone that's all the time we have for this episode if you want to support my podcast and support the Air Force Wounded Warrior here's how you can help and show support just simply like this Facebook post and also share. If each person just shared it one time that this could reach thousands of people so again if you just uh in order to help support this podcast and Air Force Wounded Warrior I guess if you just like and share this episode. I appreciate everyone's time and attention remember taking everyone who's around