How Tim Medvetz Turned Pain Into Purpose | The Heroes Project
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Who is Tim Medvetz and what is his background?
Tim Medved's, founder of The Heroes Project, joins the We're Out of Time podcast.
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. 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.
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.
What happened during Tim's near-fatal motorcycle accident?
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.
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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. 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. You talked about hitting rock bottom after your accident. Was addiction ever part of that chapter? And what was your turning point? 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.
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.
15.
No, how old are you now? Now I'm 52. Okay, so you missed the whole Quaalude thing. Yeah, that was before my time. 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.
How did a book inspire Tim to climb Mount Everest?
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. 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.
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.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
Who is Tim Medvetz and what is his background?
0:00–0:56
2
What happened during Tim's near-fatal motorcycle accident?
0:56–3:12
3
How did a book inspire Tim to climb Mount Everest?
3:12–4:44
4
What challenges did Tim face while attempting to reach the summit of Everest?
4:44–8:11
5
How did Tim's experiences with injured veterans change his life?
8:11–13:53
6
What is The Heroes Project and how can listeners help?
13:53–50:50
Speakers
2 identifiedMore from We're Out of Time
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