2017 AF Trials hopeful: Jamie Biviano

By Staff Sgt. Alexx Pons

Air Force Personnel Center Public Affairs

NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. – Retired Senior Airman Jamie Biviano hails from Syracuse, New York and served as a Security Forces Airman assigned to the 174th Attack Wing prior to retirement. She became part of the Air Force Wounded Warrior Program family in 2015.

So why don't you tell me how you became part of AFW2 - what injuries do you suffer from that led to that?

While I was deployed to Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan years ago, I got really sick. About a week or two after returning home from that deployment my medical team discovered a lesion on my spinal chord and diagnosed me with a rare disease called transverse myelitis.

And what happened when they discovered that; what was that diagnosis like for you?

I mean it sucked - straight up. I believe I was born to serve in the military... that it would be a career for me. I had aspirations to become a senior NCO, a military leader, and it hit me hard and hurt deeply when I realized my no longer being deployable would mean my medical retirement.

It felt like I no longer had a place in the world. I felt lost and wondered where I would fit in after the military and what I would ultimately do with my life.

Taking that into account during that time, how has your personal road to recovery been and in what way was AFW2 able to help you along that road?

So I was diagnosed in 2012 and it was a rocky road for a few years after that. I had not heard about the AFW2 program and was struggling on my own to find a niche for support - I had a void that needed to be filled after the military.

Anyway, I got an e-mail one day that I honestly took to be spam. I am so glad I opened it! It was from AFW2; I filled out the information, submitted it and the events that conspired since have ultimately led me here.

That is incredible Jamie! Well please fill in some of those gaps - what were some of the motions for you following that e-mail application?

I attended my first Warrior Care Event at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. It was neat because they let me bring along my fiancé as my caregiver, and I remember basically learning how to stand on my own two feet again. The entire camp was an emotional rollercoaster, but by my second one I felt as though I had known this program and this amazing staff all my life; but even more significant, I felt like I was part of the Air Force family again.

Do you feel you would be as far along in your recovery then without the help and support of AFW2?

I truly believe it would have taken me so much longer to be where I am today without this level of help and support. I have an incredible fiancé who pushes and motivates me to do things I never believed I could do, however, I think if I had never gone to that first camp I would not be here taking first place in my cycling heat and that means so much to me for this journey. 

It looks and sounds like you have some special thanks to give - is there anyone you would offer that gratitude to?

Absolutely! I would first thank my fiancé Jennifer Miller and then Jen Stone who started out as a warrior herself and is now part of this family. Jen was at my first camp with me as well and pushed me beyond what I believed my personal limitations were back then.

I'm sure they will appreciate knowing what their support means to you. But let's shift gears a bit... at what point along your journey did you decide that the Warrior Games was something you wanted to do? From diagnosis of injury to making that decision, what sparked your interest in competing?  

I came out last year and made the alternates list, but AFW2 was not able to take me to the games, and I just remember telling myself that was not going to be the end of this road.

And since that minor set-back, what has been your drive and focus?

I am going all-out this year - I need to make that primary list in order to compete and represent the Air Force. When I retired, I felt dead inside knowing I would never represent the Air Force as an Airman again. Going out to the games and having the opportunity to show that the Air Force is something to be reckoned with would mean the world to me!

I know you have been here before, but what is this moment like for you - coming off a first place win in your cycling heat and being in this arena once more?

I will say first that most would not believe these athletes are wounded warriors - we all have drive, determination and tenacity... we all came to compete and win!

The win was a moment I will hold onto always, but the road is not over to Warrior Games and nothing at this point is set in stone; we are all still competing for each other's spots on the final team. Now is not the time to become complacent or draw back our individual training, now is the time to kick it up to the next level.

Win or lose, primary or alternate... regardless of outcome, what do you hope to take away with you from this experience?

I want to keep in mind, and really I want all competitors to know, that this is by no means the end of the road. Warrior Games, AFW2 and the Air Force... our lives don't stop here and we all need to remember to keep moving forward!

Is there anything you would want people to know about either AFW2, the AF Trials or maybe help dispel misconceptions for those who have no concept of what any of this really is or means?

Definitely. This is not just for those missing limbs or with physical ailments, this program is for anyone suffering or who is on that road to recovery. This program has an amazing ability of helping get people back on track when life throws them off.

This program has the power to save lives... it saved me when it brought me back to life.