VA Employee Learns Resilience Through Boxing
A Ralph H. Johnson VA Health Care System employee threw punches for a cause! They laced up their gloves not only to raise money for Veterans, but also to understand resiliency and conquering a goal.
This program pushed them to their limits, demanding both physical and mental toughness – a perfect training ground for understanding the unwavering discipline and grit of our veterans.
Anna Langevin, a Ralph H. Johnson VA Health Care System occupational therapist, took part in The Battle on The Bricks competition in support of The Warrior Surf Foundation. Formed in 2022 by members of the Charleston community, the Charleston Boxing Foundation is a charity that supports organizations in the South Carolina Lowcountry through philanthropic partnerships.
Langevin said one of the primary drives for her entering this competition was trying to better herself as well to better understand the resiliency and drive needed to push one’s body past their limits.
“Part of my job is to help Veterans push themselves to accomplish some of the most basic functions of living like brushing your teeth and going to the bathroom,” Langevin said. “The training for this tournament has taken a lot of mental, physical, and emotional strength that has made it easier to connect with my Veterans and relate to them trying to get back to one hundred percent.”
Langevin comes from a family of military service, both her father and brother are military Veterans, and both also have dedicated themselves to working to help Veterans at the Ralph H. Johnson. Even the charity she chose to support is one that uplifts Veterans bettering themselves.
“It’s not like at the end of the day they’re done with their lesson, the type of therapy we do is something they’ll often times have to work on for the rest of their lives,” Langevin said. “I respect the Veterans drive to keep fighting and pushing past their limits.”
Occupational therapists like Langevin are a core service that help Veterans get back their independence and improve their lives for the long term. They practice the therapeutic use of everyday life activities (occupations) with individuals, groups, communities, and populations to optimize independence, quality of life, and participation in valued life roles. Veteran Affairs occupational therapists are licensed independent practitioners who are experts across varied practice settings in habilitation, rehabilitation, and health promotion and disease prevention through the application of their unique clinical lens and use of evidence-based interventions. They concurrently and comprehensively assess and treat physical, cognitive, psychosocial, and environmental factors impacting Veterans’ functional performance.
“Watching someone go from not being able to put weight on a limb or support themselves at all and then go to being able to complete their core functions is really gratifying,” Langevin said. “With this boxing training I’ve come to understand the emotional toll of failing during training but also the comfort of seeing that light at the end of the tunnel and succeeding.”
The Battle on The Bricks tournament is the main fundraising event for the Charleston Boxing Foundation with amateur fighters from all over the Lowcountry being trained, judged, and coached by real boxing professionals. Other charities supported in this event were MUSC Children’s Hospital and the College of Charleston Athletic Fund.