Wounded Warrior Softball Team Stops in the Midlands

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Columbia. S.C. (WOLO) — For South Carolina native, Leonard Anderson, the diamond has always felt like home. Leonard says,”I’ve always been in love with ball since I was a little kid.” But it wasn’t until 3 years ago that he realized the critical role the sport would play in his life. While serving in the Air Force an IED detonated 2 feet in front of him. Anderson explains, “I lost my left hand, broke my left arm, most of my right hand I have two fingers left on my right hand that are at about 10% movement, pretty bad abdomen wound and then my legs were just shredded.” After more than a year of recovery Anderson was determined to overcome his injuries. “Once I realized that it’s not going to get any better unless I do something about it, that’s when it started to pick up,” says Anderson. He joined the Wounded Warrior and Amputee Softball team and got back in the game. “I’m really a different person once i get in between the lines.” Not only is playing an important part of rehabilitation for team members, it’s also an inspiration for those watching. “They aren’t limited by their amputations they can come out and they can do everything that we can do,” says Kate Abney. Playing games across the country, Anderson hopes to convey a simple message to those onlookers,”The amputation doesn’t define you, you define the amputation.”