My name is “Sveno”, and I am a recovered blind quadriplegic! I had a TBI and was in a coma and when I woke up, still blind a quadriplegic… I heard a voice saying “I need you to work with students!”. BUT I not only didn’t like children before my TBI, I had even abandoned my own son… so I would have been the LAST person on earth to want to work with students!! Every day in the hospital I would hear that voice… and argue with it… “NOT ME… I am a horrible Father and everyone that knows me knows I don’t like kids!” and I didn’t heal at all… until months later I finally got sick of arguing with the voice… and I said “Fine… I’ll be the BEST blind quadriplegic youth speaker, writer or volunteer… if someone will wheel me out on stage I can spin tales of danger, adventure and intrigue… and do my best to inspire students!” I made that pledge with no expectation of healing… I had not healed at all and the doctors had given me no hope of recovery. BUT moments after making that pledge… I felt a physical WAVE through my body from head to toe… and I slowly… very slowly (8 months) began to heal and made a full miraculous recovery over the next year. I have dedicated my life to serving, volunteering and inspiring youth ever since!! First I returned home and became the Father I should have always been, then I began working in schools, orphanages and kids camps all over the world. I believe I was CALLED to serve youth… and God took my sight away (blind), caused me to be still (paralyzed), so that I would listen to HIM and realize I had an amazing gift within me… and there were children that needed me!
Wounded Warrior Project introduced me to the Travis Manion Foundation at the 2024 Honor Project in Phoenix, AZ. I quickly became a TMF volunteer and got certified as a CDM Mentor. I have had the privilege to volunteer at two school mentoring programs and absolutely LOVE how committed TMF is to growing young men and women of CHARACTER!!