Crystal was raised in Iowa alongside her older and younger sister. She loved all kinds of sports growing up. Starting with dance, Crystal tried everything from volleyball to basketball, softball to competitive gymnastics. Crystal started working while still in high school, first as a hostess and later as a nursing assistant. She had her first kid going into her senior year and graduated in the spring of 2002.
She married her high school sweetheart in 2006. While he was active duty in the Army, Crystal was in the Navy Reserves, went to college, and worked. She ended up getting her EMT certificate, but a year later was off to South Korea with her family for her husband’s deployment. They spent three years there and had their second child.
After moving back to the states, they ended up in Georgia where Crystal worked for a high-end hotel. By 2014, her husband got out of the Army with disability. At that point Crystal joined the Army. She became a licensed practical nurse and was stationed in Texas and Washington over her five years of service.
One day at work, Crystal tore a tendon in her lower leg. During the surgery to repair, unknowingly to her, one of her nerves was accidentally severed. At this point, Crystal began experiencing a lot to the point where she couldn’t stand for more than two minutes. It got to the point where it was too much to bear, and in April 2019, Crystal opted to have her leg amputated below the knee.
Post-surgery was rough, especially with the prosthetic process. Mentally, she wasn’t as prepared as she thought, but she felt lucky that she could recover at the CFI in San Antonio, where she was able to do different trips, like mountain biking, kayaking and scuba diving, showing her she can still do everything with a prosthetic.
During her time at ATF, Crystal wants to build her confidence. She’s done making excuses and is ready to put in the sweat to get her body in the best shape possible. Beyond that, she’s excited to gain the tools to help empower her and conquer anything in her path.
