Tim Medvetz
Appearances
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
This is great. I think he would like, cause I always climbed it. Boom. I grabbed it, stumbled over the bookcase, grabbed it, started reading as I'm down in the booze. And I just was obsessed with this book. I couldn't put it down. What was the book about? It's about the 96 commercial disaster on Everest where nine people lost their lives. And I was just completely enthralled with this book.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
I mean, I just thought it was about death and mayhem. And I would go through the book and they would talk about, oh, we just arrived at camp two. And I would go back to the front of the book where it had the map of the route and where the camps were. And I just couldn't put this book down all night till three, four in the morning. I finally finished it.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
Uh, no, addiction was not in the picture, but I guess we got to kind of rewind the tape a little bit. When I was 15 years old, I probably grew up in a small town, suburbia in New Jersey. Um, I could see from the highest point in our town, I could see New York city. It always kind of drew me. Um, and then probably 12 o'clock, 12 years old, smoked my first joint.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
close the book i pass out right i wake up i'm all sweaty and doped up and just like and and all of a sudden it was just like i look down i see the book i'm like that's it this is it no more squeezing the ball thing at the rehab i'm done i'm gonna go climb everest That's a bitch end, Dylan.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
And I grabbed my Costco-sized jug of fucking Vicodins, grabbed every single bottle in the house, went into the bathroom, dumped everything down the toilet, flushed the toilet, walked out, knocked on my neighbor's door, said, hey, I'm subletting my apartment. I'm leaving for Nepal. He goes, what are you going to do there? I said, I'm going to go climb Everest.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
And that's a really funny reaction when you tell a friend that, right? Uh-huh. And sure enough, 30 days later, I put all my in the garage, still blood in my apartment, bought a one-way ticket to Nepal, flew up there, got all my climbing gear in Kathmandu, flew up to the Everest region.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
shackled up, shacked up with this Sherpa family and went on this journey to learn how to climb 8,000 meter peaks. And so climbed all the peaks around Everest in this whole one year, no cell phone, no wifi, completely off the grid. And then, uh, three years of training and, you know, selling all the motorcycles, maxing out the car, all the money. And took off to Mount Everest.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
And how long did it take you in those practice runs to finally make it to climb Everest?
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
Well, you know, I didn't want to show up to the mountain not knowing everything. I didn't want anybody to babysit me. Absolutely. I wanted to make sure that I showed up and I was a complete self-sufficient climber and knew everything, knew how to rescue people.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
myself knew how to everything crampons and ice axes and you know reading avalanche control all that you know and so that took about three years of intense training and then i made my first attempt on everest in 2006 and then i got about 300 feet from the summit just missed it how do you get a football field
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
away from the peak and not make it?
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
Well, I was 275 pounds, six foot five, not the actual, you know, size of your average climber. Right. And then, you know, the higher you go in altitude, the more your body does no oxygen up there. And so the heavier you are, the less oxygen you have. So you don't really want to be that big. So I just got to the point where I was moving so slow and I just was running out of steam.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
And then finally, you know, you got somebody down at base camp that's watching you and, you know, watching your oxygen levels and you got supplemental oxygen. And then, you know, after fighting a little bit about that, I decided to turn around.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
But I want to know the psychology of it. Like, forget what those guys were doing. Like, in your head, you've just, how long did it take you to get to that point? Two months. No, no, no. You took two months to get to the top.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
That's how long it takes?
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
Yeah, it's usually about anywhere from 40 to 60 days. Okay, so check this out. So you're two months up there. Yeah. And you're 300 feet away from the prize. Forget them. What are you doing internally? You must be going, I got to get there. And then you must have had to... There was something in that moment. Tell me about the conflict that you were having in those last moments.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
Well, the big conflict was... You know, the doctor is telling you, I'll never walk again. I'll never ride a motorcycle again. But that would make you get to the top. Yeah. What's in the back of your head the whole time. So all these voices in your head saying you can't do this. You can't. It's not impossible. Blah, blah, blah. And then that's just driving you internally, right? Right.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
But then there's the reality of, you know, being a seasoned climber and knowing when it's time to turn around. How long would it take to have done those last 300 feet? Last 300 feet at that altitude, just under 29,000 feet, you're moving every 30 feet is taking you probably about 10 minutes. So you're talking about a hundred minutes?
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
And then that just sent me onto a path of, multiple arrests, simple assaults, destruction of property, theft, fake identification, possession of drugs, intended to distribute, probably about 12 arrests by time I was 15.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
You're talking probably, I still had probably another two, three hours to go. An hour and a half by my math. Okay.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
Especially at my size. An hour and 40 minutes. So you spent two months getting to that point. Yep. And then now understand, I know less than anything about this. So, but for the lay person, right? Yeah. We're like... hold on a second, you spent two months and you got another 100 minutes, an hour and 40 minutes. I need to know, dude, I need to know what happened in that moment for you to say,
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
Yeah, this is my life. I ain't doing it.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
Well, a couple of things. First of all, there's an old saying in the climbing world that the summit's only halfway. You still got to get down, right? That is awesome. How do you, let's back up. How long do you stay at the top before you start going down? Depends on the weather, but generally 20, 30 minutes.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
Get your photos, have a moment, you know, and then you got to hightail it because you got to get down. When you're on the summit ridge of Mount Everest, it's littered with frozen bodies. There's bodies everywhere up there. Dozens of them. You saw them? Oh, yeah. They're on the route. Like, there's tons of them. Okay, but if they're there, can't you just toss them down the hill?
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
People won't touch them because it's bad juju up there, but if they are close enough to a crevasse or the edge... We'll push them over. But most of them, you know, are, let's say, you know, 20 feet off the trail. And so what's the point? You're going to go over, just leave them alone. Right.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
But the crazy thing about all those bodies out there is that it's not a bad way to go because you're perfectly, well, you're perfectly preserved for eternity. Right. It's like Walt Disney is in a cryo chamber and shit. Just go to Everest. There's all kinds of bodies they could bring back to life, that technology ever comes in.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
But the crazy thing is that the ravens fly up to the summit ridge up there. So all the bodies that are up there that don't have their goggles still intact, the ravens peck out their eyeballs. So there's just these frozen bodies down there, like frozen in time with no eyes. It's the creepiest thing. And 99% of those bodies that are up there, they all made the summit. Really? Yeah.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
That's why you turned around? Because they got summit fever. They didn't realize that the summit's only halfway. You got to get down. And when you're coming down, if you got nothing left in the tank, if you gave up everything to get to that summit, now you're coming down. Like you can get in trouble real quick at that altitude. Got it. So that's running through your brain too.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
And then finally, it's just like the rock comes out of the head. Of course, you know, you got your expedition leader going, you know what, the rate you're moving right now, this is how much oxygen you got in your tank. You have to have a tank of oxygen? Well, because you're on supplemental oxygen.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
There's only been probably about 200 people in the world that have climbed Everest without supplemental oxygen. Well, I don't understand.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
So you're walking around with a tank? Yeah, scuba diving. Wait, like the guy like this who doesn't get in the ass? Yeah, the old guy.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
With the guy with emphysema pulling the shit? And the physical therapy place was squeezing the ball thing with the oxygen tank? Yeah. Kind of, except it's in your backpack. Really? How heavy is it? Well, now, I mean, back 50 years ago, it was, you know, those things were like 30, 40 pounds. Now they're weighing in at like 12 pounds, which is still really heavy at that altitude. Really heavy.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
So, but yeah, it's, supplement oxygen is definitely a big factor in a lot of people's summits up there, but it's still, it's not really, it's not going to help you run to the summit. Essentially what supplement oxygen does, it keeps you warm. Really? Yeah, it keeps you thinking a little bit clearer. So, why does it keep you warm?
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
Because what's happening is you only have a third of the oxygen that's at sea level up there. So, like, everything is slow motion. Like, even just tying your shoes, you have to think about it. Like, you essentially have, like, the brain of an 8-year-old, essentially. Because your body's dying. So what happens is when- Your body's dying. Yeah. The human body is not made to survive at that altitude.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
If I were to take you right now in a helicopter and drop you off on the summit of Everest, said, hang out here, be back in an hour, you'd be dead by the time I got back. Shut up. Cerebral edema, your brain would swell. Pulmonary edema, your lungs would fill with water. And then you would just die. Why didn't you die?
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
Because the reason why, it only takes five days to climb Everest from the base camp to the summit, right? You said it takes two years. It takes two months. It takes two months. But the reason why it takes two months is that you're acclimating to that altitude. So what's happening is when you show the base camp, 17,700 feet, then you go up. To 20,000. You bring some loads up.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
You drop some tents off, some sleeping bags. Then you come back down. Got it. And the next two days later, you rest. And two days later, you go up to 21,000 feet. Then you come back down. When you go to 23,000 feet and you come back down and you're going back and forth, back and forth. And what's happening is, is your body's producing red blood cells.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
And those red blood cells is what you need to stay at that altitude. And so, it's like your Lance Armstrongs, all your Tour de France guys are all blood doping, right? Right. And what they're doing is they're taking a drug that increases their red blood cells. So, did you ever do that? No. Never did that, ever. I wish, actually. Right. Because it would have made it a lot easier. Sure.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
No, how old are you now? Now I'm 52. Okay, so you missed the whole Quaalude thing. Yeah, that was before my time.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
I mean, it's not still. It's the same thing. Like, you know, Lance Armstrong got all this crap about, oh, blood doping. They're all blood doping, right? Right. But... It's still, you still got to train. Like what he did was absolutely empower one of the greatest athletes to ever live.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
A time like hats off to the guy, just because you're taking testosterone or you're taking growth hormone, you still got to put the work in.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
And he had the hottest girl at the time. So Sheryl Crow, how, how cool is she in the day? Yeah. I mean, you're so cool by the way.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
Go on. So that's what you're essentially doing on Everest is you're increasing your red blood cells by staying up there, acclimating up and down, up and down. And then finally, when the jet stream slows down enough, That's because normally all year round, the winds are blowing between 100 and 200 miles an hour up at 29,000 feet. It's like you're flying in a commercial jet from L.A.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
to New York, right? And so you're not meant to go up that high, especially the winds. The winds will blow you right off the summit. But when the monsoon season hits, the jet stream slows down to almost nil the winds for about a window of about one to two weeks. And you have to be completely acclimated by the time that window comes, which is generally around somewhere around mid-May.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
Yeah. For sure. But... You know, get in front of the judge. Judge basically looks at, you know, I've been arrested 12 times by the time I was 15 years old. You got a problem, kid. Like, this is it. I'm putting the brakes. You got two choices. You're going two years in juvie or you're going to go to a rehab, a lockdown facility. And so, of course, I took the lockdown facility rehab.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
Everybody right now is descending on in Nepal right now because all you ever said. You're stressing the shit out of me.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
I'm not even kidding. I'm like sitting here going like I'm the one doing it. Yeah, definitely not Runyon Canyon, right? I couldn't make it up Runyon Canyon.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
Yeah. So back to where I was going with this whole story. So now I come back. I turned around. Didn't end up like those frozen bodies up there. Right. Because the other thing that we say in the climbing world is the mountain ain't going nowhere. It's going to be there tomorrow. It's going to be there next year, right? So boom, come back home. Train, train, train. Raise the money again, not cheap.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
Raise the money for what? It's about $75,000 to climb Everest. Why? Well, you got a permit that you have to pay. That's about $20,000 just to put your foot on the mountain. You're kidding. Yeah. Then you have to have all your supplemental oxygen. You have to have your tanks. You have to have porters. You have to have the Sherpas. You have to bring all your loads there. There's the food there.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
Because it all comes down to one thing, right? If you want anything bad enough in life, you figure out a way to do it, right? Exactly right. You know, so that's what I did. And whatever, I ended up picking up some sponsors the second year. And so I went back the second year, stood on top, did it. Big F you to the doctors. I'll show you. Came back to town, got back to LA.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
And then you're just like, okay, you know, you're sitting there with your buddies having a coffee, right? And you're like, so what's next, man? You just climb all that fucking Everest, man. What's next? You know, like ballroom dancing. What do you do now, right? And so I'm like, I don't know. So I just kind of started getting into skydiving again. I was like doing scuba diving.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
I was doing all this like, you know, adrenaline sports. And then it was, I'll never forget it, November 11th, Veterans Day. I'm sitting at home, going through the channels. All of a sudden there's some kind of big thing going on, ceremony at Arlington Cemetery.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
And all these injured vets are getting up there and they're speaking, you know, and they're talking about how proud of American they were and they're missing legs. And this one guy out there was talking and he was, they, their, their Humvee ran over an IED, fire. He was trapped inside the Humvee, burned them. He didn't look like a human. survived. And here he is on this podium in Arlington.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
He's talking about how proud of America, American he was, and he would go back tomorrow and he didn't regret one day. And I love this country, man. And like, and he's sitting there, I'm sitting on my couch, like, you know, getting all choked up and I'm like, you know, swallowing and trying to like, you know, I'm wiping the tears. And then it was this boom. It was like the light bulb went off.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
I was like, man, like maybe I got something to offer these guys. Right. So started making some phone calls. And then me and a buddy, we went down to Balboa Naval Hospital, which is like the Walter Reed out here in California. And I went down there and got a little tour and met some people. And I remember just having a coffee sitting out in the courtyard.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
And I remember at that time there was 112 inpatient amputees, all 18, 20 year old kids. Missing limbs going by me in gurneys, one after the other, after the other. Man, it disturbed me. And at that time, I remember like the biggest thing on the news was Jay-Z and Beyonce going to Cuba. I'm like, why is this not on the, why are we seeing this on the news?
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
Like, this is like, I just watched like three, four dozen 20 year old kids missing limbs. Like it was just, it was disturbing. And I got on my, fired up the bike, pulled out of the hospital, drove up the road, pulled into a gas station, bought a pack of Marlboro Reds, sat on the curb and just like chain smoked the whole pack. Just couldn't believe what my eyes just seen. And then that was it, man.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
Next thing you know, I got police escorted to Newark Airport, got on a plane to Cleveland, Ohio, checked in, had a policeman and a rep from the hospital escort me to there. I'll never forget. I walked in there with the clothes on my back, right from jail, clothes on my back and a carton of Newport cigarettes. Walked in, the doors slammed, and that was it. It was called St.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
I was like, I'm going to do something about this. And so I made some phone calls and I met this kid, Keith, stepped on an IED, missing his leg well above the knee, about halfway up his thigh. And I was just like, hey, you want to go climb a mountain? He's like, I got no leg, man. Like, you know, real funny, big, big jokes for you are. I'm like, no, no, no, we'll figure it out, man. We can do this.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
And then we started training. And fast forward, we're in Russia on a mountain called Mount Elbrus. And we're about in the whole month we're on that mountain. All he wants to do is go back. I want to go back. I want to go home. This is enough. I can't do this. I can't do this. Come on, man. You got this. We can do this. We can do this. And then finally, we're going up. It's summit day.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
And we're going. And he's just... His stump is blistering and bleeding and he just wants to turn around and quit. And I'm like, just give me like just 30 more steps and we'll turn around, we'll go home. And then he goes 30 steps. Okay, let's turn around. I'm like, come on, you got 20 more in you. And then another 20 steps and then another 10 steps. Just come on, five more.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
Just go a little bit there. We'll sit down, we'll take a break and then we'll go back home. And then finally we sit down, we come over this little ridge line. We sit down, I'm like, just relax, relax. He's like, that's it, I'm done. I'm not doing any more of your steps. We're going home. I'm tired of this. I can't do this. And I go, look over your shoulder.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
And he turns around and he looks over and he goes, is that what I think it is? I said, yeah, that's the summit. I said, get up, man. He gets up and he puts the leg back on and I take the rope off him. He said, what are you doing? I'm like, you're okay, man. It's like, this is a real nice, easy path. You're not going to die on. I'm like, this ain't about the war. This ain't about your family.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
This is all about you. I didn't carry you up here. You got your ass up here. So get up there and go take what's yours. Go get it. And he took those last hundred steps and I sat there and I watched him dragging that prosthetic leg and he got to the summit and he threw his arms up and he's screaming and he's yelling. I did it, man. I did it. And he screamed, he's crying.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
And I'm sitting there like watching this like all unfold. And I'm like, holy. And I had a buddy of mine, a climbing buddy of mine came and filmed it. And after he's going through this whole thing, I'm like, all right, let's go. We got to get out of here. He's like, I ain't leaving. You better get up here. And it dawned on me.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
I was like, because at this point, I've summited all the biggest mountains around the world at this point. And it was the first time in my climbing career, per se,
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
that the last thing on my mind was getting up to the summit and taking that picture and going back home and putting the picture of me on the summit of Elbrus in Russia on my mantle and telling my boys, you know, oh, yeah, I just climbed Mount Everest. That was the last thing on my mind. Watching him take those last 100 steps, it just changed my life.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
Okay, you're making me cry like a right now, so we're stopping. Okay.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
Well, I'll finish it up with this. That was the moment. When, because you got to understand something at this point in my life, you know, it was boxing, jujitsu, skydiving, motorcycle racing, all these things. I realized that these were all solo sports. It's all about Tim, the mother Tim show. And that moment on that summit, watching him take those last hundred steps.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
That was the moment when the Tim show finally died. And that's when the heroes project was born. Yeah. Dude, you are a hero. Nah, I ain't the hero. These guys are the hero climbing a mountain with no legs. That's a hero and serving his country. And I never served my country. I was in Hell's Angels, different kind of military. You weren't in the military? Never. My dad was.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
Dad is amazing. So is that your dad's dog tag? No. It's Cronhart's fancy. Oh, Cronhart's. Hollywood guy.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
Luke's, and it was in Cleveland, Ohio. It was right down the street from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And after two months, 60 days lockdown, I got out. Then I had to go to a six-month outpatient program in Summit, New Jersey. I had to go to meetings. I had to get piss tests from the probation officer. I had to get my meeting signed off.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
I love that. It's part of my look. I got it. Everybody needs a look. Yeah. Anyway, so the reason why the whole Heroes Project got started, it was just my way of of serving the guys who served me because I never served. And it was my way of being a proud American and giving back to these guys because I never signed the dotted line.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
I'm the exact way. I have the exact same feeling about the military. I cannot be of service to them enough because, man, I was so stupid as a child and I was raised by wolves. I had no clue about the military. Like I never gave it a thought. You know, and plus I was so ravaged by drugs. Yeah. You know, I, you know how that is. Yeah. Okay.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
I just was obsessed with this book. What was the book about? It's about the 96... commercial disaster on Everest. And I just couldn't put this book down. I wake up, I'm all sweaty. I look down, I see the book. I'm like, that's it. I'm done. I'm going to go climb Everest. I met this kid, Keith, stepped on an IED, missing his leg well above the knee.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
Do you know what I love most about that is, about that story? These people didn't think they could do anything. No. They thought their life was over. Yeah. They would never be the same. They'd never get another girl. Yeah. They'd never have kids. They'd never be able to do what they used to do in life. That has changed their whole outlook on life.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
If you can climb Mount Everest with a stump, okay, there's nothing you can't do. That's what it tells them. You have changed their entire lives. You understand this, right? Does that make you uncomfortable? It doesn't make me uncomfortable.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
I, you know, I had, for me, when I was going through, when I got out of the hospital bed and I got out of the wheelchair, you know, the squeezing the ball thing didn't work for me. You know, the rehab units didn't work for me. I had to take it into my own hands and go climb a mountain and put myself on you know, in harm's way, right?
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
And that was my vehicle to getting from the hospital bed to being a man again, to get my life back. And my vehicle was climbing mountains. So I just figured, well, if that worked for me, maybe I have something to offer these guys because, you know, I broke every bone in my body, a metal everywhere. I said, but no comparison to losing a limb or two limbs. Some of these guys I've worked with.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
So that I can't compare with my injuries, but I can relate. With what it's like going from the hospital bed and being pushed around in a wheelchair and people holding the door for you after I just would, you know, walk into a bar, you know, and...
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
be on top of the world or walk into a restaurant and just being on top of the world and being a bouncer and, you know, and riding the Harley, you know, and being all doing all the tough guy. Right. And next thing you know, I'm in a wheelchair and people are feeling sorry for me. And so here's this kid who joins the Marine Corps. He gets out. Right. And, and he's got the buzz cut.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
He's back home for a weekend, you know, home and, And he's used to carrying an M60 around the battlefield. He's got a platoon of guys under his command. He walks into a bar. He comes out with 10 phone numbers from every hot chick in the bar, right? And next thing you know, boom, steps on IED. And now he's in a wheelchair, missing legs. And everybody's feeling sorry for him.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
And that's the part I can relate with. And so... I figured if this is my type of rehabilitation, maybe this might work for them. And a lot of these guys, like there's a lot of worthy organizations out there, fly fishing, therapeutic fly fishing and horse therapy and, you know, all this like adaptive golf and like all these things. Right.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
Did you ever figure out that you could sign off on your own meetings? I didn't. Back then it was, yeah. We had pagers back then, you know, so things were a little different then. And then after, you know, the whole year of that 12 months, went to my last meeting. They signed off on it. I walked out of the meeting, called my buddy, picked me up in his Z28 Camaro.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
But some of these guys, they just, it doesn't work for them. And the only way to really truly rehab these guys is you have to put them back on the battlefield again to truly heal them and get them back to be the Marine they were. That makes sense to me. Let me ask you a question.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
You know any... Any of these veterans or military people that were addicted to drugs at the time? All of them.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
Let me say that. I'm saying that loosely because when I meet most of these guys, you know, they're coming right out of the hospital. You know, they got them on gabapentin, all these nerve meds and pain pills and, you know, all these. How do they get off of that? Well, interesting is that they can't go up Everest on an opioid. Exactly.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
And that's always the first conversation I have when we start training. I'm like, we got to get you off this because these types of narcotics, they affect your respiratory system. And that's the last thing you want at 20,000 feet. That's that, dude.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
You think you're doing great and you think you're hauling ass and you're moving in slow motion like you're on Thorazine. It's like there's no... That is... It just doesn't make sense to me. So how did these guys, how do you get these guys clean before they're training to go up to Everest?
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
I put them back in harm's way. I put them on a mountain and then they realize at, you know, even small mountains here in Southern California, 10,000 foot mountain. And then they realize I don't even have to, like I give them the whole speech about the drugs ain't going to work and the nerve meds and all these pain pills.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
And you get them at 10,000 feet and they're like, you know, on their knees gasping for air. And just falling apart, going, oh, this ain't working. This doesn't work together. This ain't peanut butter and jelly. Drugs and climbing mountains and the outdoors just doesn't work. And so it's a natural evolution of it. And so the therapy that I give these guys, you can't get from the local drug dealer.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
You can't get from CVS and Walgreens. My therapy that I give these guys is simple. is giving them outdoors, natural endorphins, right? Do you know who it helps the most? Who's that? Who do you think? The man upstairs? No. Who's it helped the most? Their friends and family, everybody around them?
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
God, man, you are such a hero. You don't even know what the hell I'm talking about, do you? Clueless. You're the one that benefits the most. Yeah, I mean... No, no, listen to me. You're the one that benefits the most. Because you can't think about yourself when you're helping others. It's impossible. Okay? And that gives you meaning and that gives you joy.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
One of the hardest things I had to do this whole journey is tell people that I can't help them because... I can't afford to house them. I can't bring them out to Los Angeles. All my programs are here in the local mountains in California. I need to build a retreat center. So I start reaching out, come to find out there's not one retreat center in the entire state of California.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
So I approached the Forest Service. I find this great piece of land up on Mount Baldy, which is literally an hour from this podcast studio. That's where I train a lot of the guys. I train them. That's the first step before I get them to the big mountains.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
Actually, it was an IROC, an IROC Z. Picked me up. We bought an eighth of weed. I took my easy widers. I rolled up a joint. And that was it. And I never looked back. And for me, it was, you know, there's two things going to happen to you the minute you start using again. You're going to end up in jail or you're going to die because you have a disease. Something didn't really like click with that.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
I found this great piece of property, no Wi-Fi, no cell phone zone, completely away from all the city, but you can see Hollywood in the distance from the top of the mountain. Went to the Forest Service, gave them my idea. I want to do this great thing, bring it back to life, this whole property. They went for it. Five years dealing with federal bureaucracy.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
A year and a half ago, they gave me my permit to build And then I went to the county. Stop. Stop.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
Five years. Yeah. To get a permit. Yes. To do God's work. Yeah. Five years. California, you suck. Suck. Well, it gets worse. It gets worse. So that's the federal government. I just want to move.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
I want to move. I just hate this place. I know. I hate it. Yeah, I get it. But look out the window. It's 80 degrees and sunshine. Dude, it's 80 degrees and sunshine in Florida. I ride a motorcycle every single day. I got three 10,000-foot mountains that are an hour from the Sunset Strip. We have the best restaurants. There's a lot of good shit in California, right?
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
As long as you put aside all the politics and all the bullshit, that stuff.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
Yeah, if you don't ever turn on television, okay, or ever speak to anybody, California's great. Yes.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
So, after this five and a half year journey with the federal government, which is the U.S. Forest Service, they approved it. Said, okay, we're going to let you build it. Now, I got to go to the county and get my actual building printed. I can't hear it. I'm trying to get aggravated. I'll see here. I'm going to snap. I'm going to lose control. So, hey. Okay. Good news. I got good news, though.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
It ends with a really great story. All right. So, after a year and 10 months, almost two years... I just received word last week that I'm getting my building permit next week. We're doing a groundbreaking ceremony. After seven years? Six and a half, yes. Dude, you could have been a doctor. Well, here's the good news.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
The good news is that we're going to actually put the hard hats on, dig the shovels into the ground. When's this happening? Memorial Day weekend on Friday afternoon. We're going to start it. This Memorial Day? Yep. And we start building. But because of this journey that I've been through... I figure I got enough money to last us about six months. So to build this thing, it's going to be cheap.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
It's going to be about $7 million. That was not a problem. But it is a problem when you're telling people, I'm going to build this veteran retreat center. It doesn't exist in California. We're going to do this. It's not like, uh-huh, when are you doing it? Now that we're actually digging, now we go into fundraising mode and then building this thing that doesn't exist in this state.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
We'll be here long before we're gone. I'm out.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
And that's where I'm at right now. So here's where the rubber meets the road. What can, and dude, I'm telling you right now, okay, I've been doing this six and a half months. Okay. I can't believe how many people are watching this. I don't even deal with the listening part of it. The Apple and the Spotify. I don't even care. Okay.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
This is the, I watch the YouTube because me, I want to see, I want to connect. I don't even talk to people on the phone. If I can't FaceTime them, I don't even want to speak to them. Yeah. I'm the same way. Yeah, because I want to- I was 25. I want to connect with you. I get friends that get pissed off when I FaceTime them.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
Dude, I was doing this, like the minute FaceTime came out, somebody said, I said, Mike, you could do this? Yeah, yeah. And I've been doing it, and people think I'm a weirdo. Same.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
Same. I'm like, look, if your pants are on your ankles, you're sitting on the- Okay, I get it, okay? But like, why can't we just talk? I can't see. You're in New York. I'm in LA. What's wrong with that? Yeah, there's nothing wrong. No, no, no. What's wrong with taking a FaceTime call on the-
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
Yeah, I'm not talking that FaceTime in the shower. It ain't happening. Everybody thinks that. I call everybody while I'm on the... Because I... Dude, I sleep three hours a night as it is. I work 20 hours a day around the clock. It's like, what? I mean, I'm not going to... It's like, come on. You do your best thinking in the shower and on the toilet. Yes or no?
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
Yes, but there's one thing you're missing here. Give it to me. It's called me time. Not our time, that's me time. Oh, I don't have any me time. Yeah. I don't have any me time. Yeah, well, you got to have some me time. It's like when I bring these guys up to the mountains, right? It's a complete disconnect. And I have a very strict no cell phone policy with the guys. Right.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
Someone's telling me that for every single day for a year. And so I never really bought into that. What I did buy into is that I needed a kick in the ass. I needed somebody to pump the brakes. I needed somebody to slow me down. And that's exactly what that did. And so that judge literally saved my life.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
And they get a little, they always question, well, I'm just going to take my phones for, take pictures. I'm like, no, this is how it works. You want to come along the program. There's no cell phones. It'll be there in your truck when we get off the mountain. What's the problem? Because we're going to be up on that mountain and we sit in that tent. Right.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
And then all of a sudden you're going to take your phone out. It won't work. There's no cell phone, no wifi. And then you start scrolling through text messages, photos, and just that simple action. You know what that does? That takes you off the mountain and puts you down there. That's right. And I don't want you down there. I need you up here. I need you in the now.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
I need you to take all this shit in. And it's been a big factor in rehabilitating these guys is just that disconnect from all the noise down here. You know, wives and kids and, you know, bills and all the shit that comes along with the noise. You need to just disconnect. What I want to know is...
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
How do people support you? Where can they donate? How can they get involved in the Heroes Project?
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
Well, it's definitely not a PSA message. It's not the reason why I came on this podcast. No, no, no.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
This is why you're here because this is why I see you here because you're doing God's work and there are people out there
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
that are going to be dude i cried twice on this thing okay there are going to be people that are moved by this thing and they're going to want to give and a lot of people listen to this like couple hundred thousand people are watching every episode now so where can people donate how can they be of service heroesproject.org go on there it tells you everything about what we're building uh we're having a groundbreaking ceremony this memorial day
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
But yeah, heroesproject.org. It's got everything on there. You donate to there. There's all kinds of different things you can... Buy a damn hat. Every little bit counts, you know? You just bought me this hat. Yeah, that's a limited edition right there, brother. It's a limited edition? Chrome Hearts hat right there. Do I wear it like this? No, like that?
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
No, I think you should go backwards with it. Backwards? Yeah, yeah, yeah. But then you can't... No, I'm not doing commercial. No, you're not doing it. I like the Heroes Project. That's what I want. The Heroes Project. The coolness factor just went up like 10 notches right now. Did it? Not really. Yeah, it did, actually. Are you kidding? I'm 58. There are no cool 58-year-olds.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
Maybe like Brad Pitt and George Clooney, but other than that, there are no cool 58-year-olds. Oh. He's downy. He's the coolest.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
The doc's saying, I don't know if we can save your foot. I'm like in shock, obviously, right? I'm going to have to amputate your foot. I basically shattered everything from my L1 to L5. My complete back has been put back together. I'm sitting in my apartment and I'm doped up. The sun comes through the blinds and the lights hit the bookcase. And it was Into Thin Air by John Krakauer.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
You got a podcast now. That's cool, right? Spreading the word. You got 200,000 followers. That's cool.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
You're doing something, right? No, the 200,000 viewers. But by the end of the year, I'm pretty sure we're going to have a million viewers.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
It's corny, but what we do in this lifetime, that goes in eternity. Right? Oh, my God. Do you know it's crazy? I don't even want to get into that. All right. So check it out. Check it out. Heroesproject.org. Where can people reach you? Because, well, let's go on the website. Hey, man. There you go. We're going to leave on that winnings. Here we go. Done. Thank you for coming.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
I don't know where I would have went after that, but I knew that the path I was on, I needed a kick in the ass. And rehab and the outpatient halfway house and the meetings, all of that, 100% saved my life.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
Thanks for having me, brother. I appreciate it. You ready to smoke a cigar? Let's do it. See you next Tuesday.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
Okay, but hold on a second. Let's go back. You said that the minute you got out of your court-ordered juvenile rehab... that you immediately got in the car and scored.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
Bought an eighth of skunk weed and a pack of Easy Whiters and rolled up a joint in his IROC in New Jersey, listened to Vanilla Ice, rolled it up.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
Okay, we'll keep the Vanilla Ice between us. What about the, but where did it take you there? You got out, you started smoking weed, and how did it escalate from there?
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
Well, then I, you know, got my driver's license and then, you know, continued getting arrested, but for more fighting, things like that, not drugs. Well, you were drinking, and if you're drinking and doing drugs, you're fighting. Correct. Anyway, 18. You were winning. I was losing. Yeah, I guess I was winning. Yes, you were. Because I never crashed my car. Nobody got hurt.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
I ended up going to jail. I didn't get arrested for drugs again. Um, 18 moved into New York city, got a job bouncing at the nightclubs, you know, and then, you know, when you're a bouncer in nightclubs, you know, the whole drinking and drugging doesn't really work. You know, you gotta be on top of your game and New York city, you're fighting every single night, throwing people out of the clubs.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
So and then 21 years old, moved to Brazil, started training with the Gracie brothers. I wanted to be a big cage fighter. And that kept me down in Rio for two years of my life. And then my life went on to travel in the world. And then when I was 28, I came out to California, packed up the motorcycle, put the old lady on the back.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
And I was just like, hey, you want to go climb a mountain? He's like, I got no leg, man. I'm like, no, no, no. We'll figure it out, man. We can do this. And then we started training, fast forward, and he just wants to turn around and quit. And I'm like, just give me like just 30 more steps and we'll turn around, we'll go home. He's like, that's it, I'm done. And I go, look over your shoulder.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
Drove out here, pulled into LA, didn't know anybody, had it figured we had enough money to last us about six months. And then we would go back to New York. And then six months turned into, I've been out here for like 25 years now. How bad did the drug thing get? It didn't. It was bad when I was, you know, from basically 13 to 15. 15 is when it really like peaked. Right.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
And then after that, it never became a problem. It was, you know, get get high, drink on a Saturday night, back in the gym Monday morning, back to work. You know, that was kind of how it's been, you know, for my entire adult life. So tell me about the accident. So fast forward, I'm living out in Los Angeles and I'm in the Helsinki Motorcycle Club. Best times of my life. Life is great.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
I'm building motorcycles. I'm in Los Angeles. I heard you're building them for celebrities. Oh, man. You did so many. So many. Did you ever build one for Johnny Depp?
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
No, actually. Never built one for Johnny. Nicholas Cage? Nicholas Cage, absolutely. Well, that's only because Nicholas Cage. Nicholas Cage will get a dollar in his pocket and it flies right out of the pocket. Yeah. Right. Yeah. That guy's never seen anything that he didn't want to buy. Yeah.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
Yeah. I remember that one. I remember when he actually walked in my shop, which is like, I thought he was the coolest guy. He pulled up in a Lambo. It was like, it was, it was like repossessed the next day. Yeah. It was like, it was like a weird, like orange, yellow or some shit. And he got out and he had purple snake leather pants on and a purple snake leather jacket with his glasses on.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
He came walking into my shop and it was just like, uh, Like everything, the music just stopped and everybody just turned and look. And he actually pulled it off too. He was actually, he didn't look like a tool. He's a star. Yeah. I mean, he's a legit. And he's a super nice guy. Super nice guy. So, and I believe he was at that time he was dating, um, Roseanne... Barr? Arquette, yeah.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
And Roseanne Barr? No, Arquette. Roseanne Arquette, one of the Arquette sisters he was dating. And he bought her, had a Buell Blast. Buells were like a single 500-cylinder. It's a little bike that was made by Harley. Bought one of those for her, and then I built them an FXR. Yeah, so anyway, that just started my whole like career in the motorcycle world. My entrance to LA, I came out here.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
And he turns around and he looks over and he goes, is that what I think it is? I said, yeah. He got to the summit and he threw his arms up and he's screaming and he's yelling.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
I wasn't coming out here to get famous. I wasn't even planning on staying. And so I just got into the motorcycle world and it just, you know, I was doing great. Making a couple hundred thousand dollars a year. I'm jeans and t-shirts. I'm in LA. I got a hot chick. I'm living up off the Sunset Strip. Like life was good. Joined the motorcycle club. Things are great.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
I'm traveling all over the world with the club. Like everything is great. And then, bam, pickup truck pulls out in front of me, doing about 100 miles an hour, racing through the streets. Bam, lights out. Wow. Yeah. Ended up in Northridge Trauma Center, and it was on September 10, 2001. And everybody knows where they were on 9-11. So it was a question, where were you at 9-11?
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
Well, for me, 9-11 wasn't that pivotal of a day. For me, it was 9-10. Because at 7.30 at night, crashed my bike. I remember laying on the side of the road. My foot was next to my ear. You know, bleeding out of my head, coming down my eyes. Like, just couldn't feel anything from my waist down. Braced me to the hospital. We're probably going to lose, you're probably going to lose your leg.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
We don't know what else is going on. Blah, blah, blah. And I remember I had like 12 of my brothers came to the emergency room. And they're all like my size. And the doc's saying, I don't know if we can save your foot. I don't know if we can save your foot. I'm like, what? What are you talking about? What? I'm like in shock, obviously, right? I'm bleeding everywhere.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
He's like, I don't think I can save your foot. Amputation. I'm going to have to amputate your foot. And I just turned to him and I says, I wake up tomorrow morning. I better have a foot or I'm going to kill you. And then, you know, he's got like 12 Hells Angels around in the same room. Well, yeah, doc, you know, try and save the foot, you know.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
and then the doc was like okay okay and then boom lights out mask goes on surgery room and then I open my eyes and I remember open my eyes and I'm looking around me okay I'm alive check first thing I do is I remember the last thing I remember is him telling me to cut off my foot I look down I see my toes in a cast I'm like okay great check got my foot I'm alive and then a hospital check and then I start like noticing there's all these doctors and nurses in my room and
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
I'm like, what the, what are they doing? And I'm, I'm up, but I got a tube down my throat machines breathing for me. So I can't speak. And I'm up and I'm like, Hey, I'm over here. Help, help. I'm over here, but they can't hear me. And they're all staring up at the ceiling. I'm like, what the are they watching? What are they doing? I need some attention over here.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
And as I like roll my eyes up, I look up and on the television, everybody's glued to the TV and it's like nine 30 in the morning. The twin towers are coming down. Right. And this is terrible to say, but my first reaction was like, turn that shit off. I got my own problems here. Come on, I'm over here.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
Not realizing, obviously, the extent of, you know, how many people died, lost their lives, and everything didn't happen. I was just more concerned, like, oh, you know, this is all about me right now, right? Mm-hmm. So as it should have been. Yeah.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
Tim Medvets. Yes. That's... Med Vets. It's weird. The veteran. I know, it's strange. It's meant to be. It's meant to be. So, man.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
And boom, next thing you know, four months in a wheelchair, three different hospitals, six months total in a wheelchair, never going to ride a motorcycle again, never ride a horse again, never going to do this, do that. You know, I'm at that point when I got to that wreck, I was 275 pounds, six foot five hills, angel bouncing, building motorcycles, hot chick, girlfriend, collection of Harley.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
Like life was good. So let me ask you a question.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
How the hell do you start scaling Mount Everest five times after this accident? Yeah, I mean, probably drugs, alcohol.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
Essentially, I got to get back on that. What kind of drug? You mean pain medication? Yeah. So I get out of the hospital. So now I'm like, you know, this big, tough guy in an accident. I'm being pushed around in a wheelchair, but he's feeling sorry for me. And then I, you know, graduate to the walker, you know, that thing with the little tennis balls and shit, right? Nothing cool about that.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
It's cooler than the crutches. It doesn't look cooler. But it's better because you fall on your ass a couple of times with the crutches. How many times you fall with the crutches? Oh man, so many times. Yeah, I just hate that.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
So then I never fell with the walker. No, but I graduated from the walker to the crutches. Right. Then I graduated from the crutches to the cane and that was cool. Right. Now I'm riding my motorcycle again. I got a turtle shell surrounding as my back was completely shattered. I broke almost every bone in my body. What do you mean a turtle shell?
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
It was a, when you have a, I basically shattered everything from my L1 to L5. My complete back has been shattered. Put back together and bolted, mesh cage, titanium bolts. But I had to wear this to keep my back straight. It was this, like it was a shell, like a Ninja Turtle shell. How long ago was this? Well, this was, you know, 25 years ago. This was done, you know, right after 9-11, right?
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
It's not my stage name either, by the way. Really? I'm not an actor. I don't have a headshot. And that is my real birth name.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
And so I had to wear that. I had a knee brace. Did they call you Turtle? My girlfriend did sign it. Um, but so I went through this whole, you know, six months and then I started walking again and then it was like, okay, you got to start going to rehab.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
And I walk into this rehab center and I just remember like all these old people and you know, they give you the little ball thing and you gotta squeeze the ball. Right. And I was just looking around going, what the am I doing in here, man? Cause you're used to lifting big weights. Yeah. I'm like, this ain't for me. And I walked out and now, but I had some serious injuries.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
So I had to numb the pain. To pretend that I wasn't hurt. I never got hurt. No way. I'm still going to be the tough guy I was before the accident. So five Vicodins a day, 10 Vicodins a day. The tolerance starts going 15 a day, 20 a day. Whiskey to go to sleep. You know, it was just this self-destructive phase for a year. Got on the bike. I went to, you know, all over America on my motorcycle.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
And just anything to numb the pain. And then finally, I'm like back in Hollywood. My chick dumped me. The club had enough of me. I was completely out of control. That's when you know you're in a bad place. When the Hells Angels had enough of you, you know you're in a bad place. Why did they have enough of you? Had enough of me because I was out of control. I was drugged up. I was...
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
You talked about hitting rock bottom after your accident. Was addiction ever part of that chapter? And what was your turning point?
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
I just wasn't in the right mind. There you go. I was in the right mind. I wasn't, you know, life was just took a turn. It's because drugs affect your decision making and they make you out of control. I mean, I'm swinging fists at guys in a bar with this turtle shell on and a knee brace on. Like, what are you doing? Slow the fuck down. Right. Now it brings me back to when I was 15, right?
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
And now the judge said, okay, son, pump the brakes here. Boom, sends me away. But now all these years later, I didn't have a judge telling me, you know, you're going to rehab. So I'm sitting in my apartment and I'm doped up on the pills, bottle of booze.
We're Out of Time
How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
And all of a sudden I like this, the sun comes through the blinds and my little one bedroom apartment in Hollywood, right off of Melrose and the lights hit the bookcase. And there's only one book in that case, one book. I wasn't, I wasn't a big reader, you know? And it was into thin air by John Krakauer. And my girlfriend got it for me like a couple of years prior to that. And I just, Oh, thanks.