West Virginia University
11/11/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 11/10/2024 23:03
WVU student Veteran seeks to be the health care provider he needed
WVU student Veteran Kenneth Brannan, shown here during a military training exercise, discovered from his personal experiences in the military that he wanted to be a physical therapist one day and is currently a sophomore in the School of Medicine's Exercise Physiology program working toward that goal. (Submitted Photo)
Growing up in Glen Dale, West Virginia University sophomore Kenneth Brannan didn't think college would ever be in his future. So, he signed up for military service and reported for duty shortly after graduating from high school.
He served his country in the U.S Air Force as an F-15 crew chief for seven years, including two deployments - one to the United Arab Emirates as a member of Global Reaction Forces and a second to Jordan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.
But Brannan's military career turned out to be riskier on U.S. soil than during the time he spent overseas.
"In 2016, I was in a military school and had a fall," he said. "I really messed up my back and had partial paralysis down my left leg. I was trying to get rehabbed back to health so that I could get back to work and running, but I was confined to a wheelchair for eight months and making no progress. Then a health care provider told me there was no hope, and I probably wouldn't walk again."
Brannan took his recovery into his own hands and worked hard to heal through mobility work and exercises.
He did walk again, went on to serve his country for several more years, and now is an avid hiker, skier and rock climber. But the experience with that military health care provider lingers in his mind and was, in fact, part of the reason he chose the exercise physiology program in the WVU School of Medicine as a pathway to a degree in physical therapy.
"My experience inspired me to pursue a career in physical therapy when I finally left the military, and I hope one day I can help my patients so that they never feel as hopeless as I felt."
Brannan said the exercise physiology faculty are "awesome" and "extremely knowledgeable," and he appreciates the supportive environment fostering his growth.
Kenneth Brannan is shown here rock climbing, one of current favorite pastimes, and one that his medical team wasn't sure he could ever do after a dangerous fall during his military training left him confined to a wheelchair for eight months. (Submitted Photo)
His military service is still a huge part of his identity, he said. He spends time on campus at The Bunker, and also serves as vice president of the WVU Veterans club for the comradery which he calls a "saving grace." He and other club members enjoy community service and even recently headed south to deliver supplies in parts of North Carolina hardest hit by Hurricane Helene.
"We're typically older students, and it's sometimes hard to connect with younger students who haven't been through the kinds of things we've been through as a Veteran," he said. "We also have similar priorities and perspectives. Like, I know that my hardest day at school doesn't even come close to the adversity we faced sometimes on a daily basis in the military. It's comforting to be around other people who know that, too."
When Brannan isn't studying, doing good in the world or climbing rocks, he's writing books - with one finished and two more in the works - and is also building a phone app to help people find gym partners, trainers and workout locations in hopes of getting more people moving and healthy.
Despite obstacles, Brannan found his way to college and couldn't be more excited about his future.
"I thought college was never going to be something I did," he said. "I assumed when I signed up that I was just going to do 20 years in the military and retire. But I learned that you can always change course, embrace new opportunities and challenges, and become what you never dreamed you could."
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