Photo By Spc. Samuel Signor | U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Valerie Watkins throws a discus during the field competition...... read more read more
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FALLS CHURCH, Va. – Sgt. 1st Class Valerie Watkins is excited after spending ten days on Fort Bliss, Texas, competing in the Army Trials. She learned this week that she made the team to represent the Army at the 2025 Department of Defense Warrior Games in Colorado Springs, July 18- 26th. “I am beyond ecstatic to be going to the Warrior Games as one of the 40 representing Team Army,” said the Michigan native.
Watkins gave it her all in every sport because she said she had to. As a lifelong athlete, it was in her DNA. Her determination at the Army Trials goes further than the Warrior Games, as she explained that a life-threatening condition almost took her out of the game for good. “I’m not going to lie. I felt like my life ended because I went from a fully able-bodied individual who ran, did Cross-Fit five times a week, and even rode motorcycles, to someone with memory issues, forgetting names, and forgetting what I was talking about minutes earlier.”
In May of 2023, Watkins started having headaches along with light and sound sensitivity.” I found out I had Idiopathic intracranial hypertension. That means my spinal fluid was not going through my body and circulating properly,” said Watkins, who was working at the National Guard Bureau in Arlington, Virginia, at the time.
After a spinal tap procedure, Watkins learned how severe her situation had become. “They measured my cerebrospinal fluid pressure, which is supposed to be 20ish, and mine was 51. My pressure was not going down, and it caused me to go blind partially, so they ended up doing emergency surgery and putting in a VP (Ventriculoperitoneal) shunt. This helped drain the fluid.”
Watkins says her mom came from Michigan to help her recover. After having to return to Michigan for a family matter a few weeks later, she ended up having a stroke. “I started having pain going down the left side of my body, then it turned from pain to where I could not feel anything on my left side. I then learned I had a blood clot the size of a pencil eraser on the right side of my brain.”
After the procedure, she stayed in the ICU at the hospital in Michigan for a few weeks. She then recovered at the Soldier Recovery Unit at Walter Reed in Bethesda, Maryland. “The staff at Walter Reed and the SRU helped me get out of my shell, and that is important. I was staying in my room, being antisocial, and I frankly did not want to be around anybody. I was upset because I was weak and did not know what to do with myself,” said Watkins.
Make no mistake. This new version is not a slower Watkins but a more calculated Watkins. “There is so much more out there if you take a deep breath and ask for help. Weakness can be a strength. Nobody is strong forever. It is ok to ask for help. I did, and Walter Reed delivered.”
The world of adaptive sports became the muse for this former high-school record-setting athlete. “The Walter Reed and SRU staff introduced me to the adaptive world, which changed my life. It awakened me. I never thought I would be here today doing any of this.”
She’s carefully figured out how to solve-for-X through adaptive sports, which she says help in her daily routines. She wants to be clear that it’s not easy; she struggles like everyone else. “I will cry for five minutes, but then I will come back. Everybody has to have their moments to break down. Nobody can tell you how to feel or react because they aren’t in your situation. This is ok. But then you find the way out of your trauma. Being at Walter Reed taught me that. You can’t hide from your trauma; you have to accept it and figure out how to work with it.”
Watkins is proud to show the world what she can do on Team Army. Besides the physical aspect, she says her mindset is improved, and she has a new outlook on her future. “Things can change with the snap of a finger, and you never know where you will be. I try always to remind myself I almost died a few years ago, so let’s appreciate every day, keep a smile on, and keep it moving. Now, heading to the Warrior Games on Team Army is amazing. This is the beginning of my forever and my new journey. I am ready to keep moving and find my next steps.”
| Date Taken: | 04.23.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 04.24.2025 11:35 |
| Story ID: | 496010 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 13 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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