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<h3><a href="/go=news.detail&gid=450543" target="_blank">
Soldier lost both legs and an arm, competes in BJJ
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<a href="/go=news.detail&gid=450543" ><img class="photo" src="http://img.mixedmartialarts.com/method=get&rs=50&q=75&x=7&y=52&w=310&h=165&ro=0&s=joey-bozik.jpg" /></a>
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<p>Joey Bozik was serving his country in Iraq in 2004 when his Humee rolled over a Improvised Explosive Device. He spent 18 months convalescing at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C.</p>
He lost both legs and one arm. The remaining arm functions at about 70%.
Now he is married to wife Jayme, is raising his daughter Violet and son Asher, and competes in BJJ tournaments.
Image courtesy of Calimbas Photography
Bozik discovered his passion for the uniquely difficult martial art upon dropping off his daughter for training at Tier 1 in McKinney, Texas. It is there he met coach Alan Shebaro, a veteran, who coaxed him into giving jiu-jitsu a go.
“Alan asked me if I would be interested in self-defense and BJJ,” Bozik said. “It was just to be able to protect my family.”
The training was intense, made more so by the fact of Bozik’s injuries.
“I’ve never trained anyone in the same situation,” Shebaro said. “I told him, ‘If you’re willing to have patience with me, I’ll have patience with you.’”
Bozik, however, stuck with it. He was relentless in his training and, eventually, was ready for tournament-level performance.
“It was that Rudy moment,” said his wife, Jayme of Bozik’s first tournament. “It was amazing. It was one of the most inspirational moments I have ever witnessed.”
In addition to the thrill of competition, he works so hard at jiu-jitsu to give his children, and others, hope.
“Don’t put yourself out of it before you get into it,” he said. “Never give up. There’s always a way if you’re willing to try.”
Next time you skip training because your arm or leg hurts, remember that Joy Bozik doesn't have one.
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