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Trail hiker grateful for VA health care Robbins: Army veteran and Appalachian Trail hiker grateful for VA health care

Roanoke Times - 7/3/2017

By Brett Robbins

Robbins is public affairs officer for Salem VA Medical Center.

On April 1, Army veteran, Bonita "Mother Goose" (Bonita's trail name) Curtner began her sixth journey hiking the Appalachian Trail.

Mother Goose, as she prefers to be referred to, sat down with me on June 12 during her visit to the Salem VA Medical Center to talk about her hiking experiences. Since Mother Goose's first Appalachian Trail through-hike in 1988, she has backpacked more than 45,000 miles, including three hikes on the west coast's Pacific Crest Trail.

"I hike somewhere every year ,trying to do 2,000 miles per summer, and when I get into a hike, I like the way it makes my body feel," Curtner said.

As I was listening to Mother Goose tell her story, I kept wondering what separates her from other hikers. It dawned on me that she is 69 years old, and a female U.S. Army veteran. She also told me she was the "first female to "yo-yo" the Appalachian Trail," meaning she hiked from northern Georgia to Maine and then back to northern Georgia. She has now completed five through-hikes on the Appalachian Trail. This, my friends, is what set Mother Goose apart from other hikers.

During our interview, she told me her home base VA, the North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health Care System in Lake City, Florida, keeps her knees working through periodic gel injections to cushion where the knee cartilage has worn away.

"I work with the best team in Florida: Matt Holsbake in orthopedics and his assistants. When I'm traveling on my hikes, my Florida VA coordinator, Ruth Davis, offers a valued service as my liaison with out-of-state VA hospitals," said Curtner.

During her last visit to the North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health Care System, Holsbake advised her she needed to have knee injections every three months for optimal effectiveness.

"I told him I was about to go back on the Appalachian Trail in Georgia and hike north until September. Referring to it taking more than four months to get an appointment, Mr. Holsbake replied, 'This won't happen again. Where will you be in June?'" Curtner said.

Curtner told Holsbake she'd be in Virginia. He replied that if she kept him abreast of her progress on the trail, he'd help arrange for her to get the shot she needed at a nearby VA facility closest to her trail location at the time she was due for a knee injection.

When the time came, care coordinator Ruth Davis contacted Mandy Price, travel veteran coordinator at Salem VA Medical Center, to coordinate a knee injection.

"Ms. Price had to go through several administrative steps to have the shot sent to the Salem VA Medical Center. In addition, I received regular updates via phone conversations and text messages from Ms. Price regarding her success in obtaining the needed medication. By the time I arrived to Salem VA Medical Center, we were looking forward to meeting each other," said Curtner.

Mother Goose describes her experience with the North Florida/South Georgia Veteran Veterans Health Care System and the Salem VA Medical Center, as rewarding. Not only did she receive the needed medication in an unusual situation, she felt everyone treated her with sincere kindness, and she has made some new friends.

"In a time when the VA may receive complaints and negative publicity, I would love Washington to know there are VA teams going over and beyond the call of duty for one appreciative Army veteran long-distance hiker," said Curtner. This, by itself, shows the type of dedication and selfless support and interest in a veteran's wellbeing.

I asked Mother Goose if she has plans to continue hiking after this year. Her response echoed comments I've heard by other veterans:

"I have the blood pressure of a 20-year-old and if my knees permit, I'll be back on some trail next year - which one I'm not sure, but my goal is to backpack 50,000 miles by the time I'm 80!"

Given her determination, I would imagine she would reach 50,000 miles before she turns 80 years old.

So why does she hike?

"It feeds my soul, and hiking is half my life!" Curtner said.

Which to me, sounds like a response only a veteran would give: If it's not challenge, why do it?