HAWC helps Airman recover from injuries

  • Published
  • By Dr. Mary Nelson and Nazlin Huerta
  • Travis Health and Wellness Center
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  An Air Force warrior, Staff Sgt. Paul Nagasawa, 60th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, suffered from critical injuries when he was involved in a near fatal car accident in 1997. 

Sergeant Nagasawa recovered from all of his major injuries after one year of convalescent leave with the exception of a reconstructed right foot. His foot injury necessitated that he meet a Medical Evaluation Board. 

Sergeant Nagasawa realized that he would have to convince the board members that he was still capable of carrying out his Air Force mission if he hoped to remain on active duty. 

He stated to the board, with absolute courage and dedication, “Sirs, I will do anything to stay in the military.” 

It was that commitment that brought him to the Health and Wellness Center. 

The role of the HAWC is health promotion through coaching. Its mission is to promote high level physical, mental and social wellbeing through a balanced lifestyle. More importantly, it is a center for support to meet the challenges that our troops and our community meet in their journey toward a healthy lifestyle. This support, mentoring and partnership for health is most evident in the story of this dedicated sergeant. 

The power of our spirits, thoughts and words is incredible, said Ms. Julie Stout, HAWC fitness program manager. “With the right coaching — it’s amazing what people can accomplish.” 

Due to his foot injuries, Sergeant Nagasawa was unable to run and therefore his physical fitness test had to be accomplished by using the stationary bicycle. 

Sergeant Nagasawa met with Ms. Stout and with her support and expertise, and his dedication and hard work, he was able to slowly regain his aerobic capacity. Sergeant Nagasawa was very appreciative of Ms. Stout’s help. 

“Julie would stay after hours to help me out,” he said. 

Sergeant Nagasawa also participated in the HAWC’s nutrition and fitness classes which he said “helped me in my diet and cardiovascular training.” He also purchased a heart monitor so that he could check his heart rate on a regular basis. Improvement in aerobic conditioning is inextricably linked to heart rate which Paul knew was important. 

Last November, Sergeant Nagasawa received an estimated VO2 max score of 28 and when he retested in January he had increased his VO2 max score to 36. In laymen’s terms, this means that he increased the capacity of the heart, lungs and blood to transport oxygen to working muscles by 8 ml/kg/min. 

Sergeant Nagasawa continues to work hard every day and with the support of the HAWC staff and Ms. Stout he hopes to increase his aerobic capacity even more. The sergeant’s dedication to the Air Force combined with coaching from the HAWC allowed him to achieve a level of fitness that has made him “fit to fight.” As he affirms “I don’t know where I would be without the HAWC!”