Whole Health

With the support of Whole Health at the VISN 3 Clinical Resource Hub, Mark Crum has been able to get back to the things he cares about.

Mark “Tony” Crum has lived several lifetimes in one. A Marine combat Veteran of the Gulf War, a U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps attorney, and a kidney cancer survivor, he’s packed more into his years than most could imagine. But it took a motorcycle accident and the support of VA Whole Health to help him finally slow down, heal, and reclaim his life — and his body.

“It’s given me motivation to go back out and enjoy life,” Crum said of his work with Whole Health. “When I do my tai chi, and my cardio, and my yoga, I feel great.”

The toll of battle on the body

Crum served in the Marine Corps right out of high school, where his unit liberated Kuwait City. He said he loved it, but the battlefield left its marks. Exposure to burning oil well smoke in Kuwait later contributed to kidney cancer, and a motorcycle accident led to a CAT scan that caught the cancer before it spread. Doctors removed his right kidney.

After that, Crum said severe depression set in and his joints stiffened.

“My body was like a two-by-four,” he said. “It was so painful just to get out of bed.”

Unwilling to rely on narcotics that triggered migraines, Crum found himself with few options for managing pain. He was also labeled an “extreme fall risk” by VA and was issued a cane.

Finding a new kind of strength

At the VISN 3 Clinical Resource Hub near Chicago, Crum connected with VA Whole Health. He started with a weight management class, then chair yoga for arthritis and pain relief. From there came tai chi for fall prevention, then a circuit training class, then yoga.

The changes were gradual, then remarkable, Crum said. His spine, locked stiff from inactivity and depression, began to loosen. His alignment improved so much that he had to order a longer cane.

His mental shifts were just as significant. Crum once white-knuckled through pain with Marine-ingrained stubbornness, but Whole Health taught him something more sustainable: working around limitations rather than through them. He catches himself remembering to relax his jaw, drop his shoulders, and breathe through the hard moments.

“You pace yourself, and then you find a way around the pain; you learn to think about the pain,” he said. “It truly is mind over matter.”

Crum said his exercises help carry him through with more relief until the next time he does them.

“I couldn’t do this [before]!” Crum declared, moving his head side to side and up and down, showing off his newfound neck mobility.

A message for other Veterans

Crum’s annual CT scan recently brought welcome news: The fatty liver that had appeared in previous scans was gone. He’s also lost 30 pounds. And he moves through his days without narcotics or alcohol, which he holds as a point of pride and message for other Veterans.

“You can do these things, learn to work around your permanent pain without having to use alcohol or drugs,” he said.

Now Crum spreads the word wherever he can. He tells fellow Veterans to try the tai chi class, and the enrollment is growing.

“I recommend the program to all Veterans if they suffer any kind of pain,” he said. “It’ll do wonders for you.”

At VA facilities across the country, Whole Health offers Veterans like Crum a patient-centered path to managing pain and improving quality of life. Learn more about Whole Health for pain management here.