I’m Not Disabled, I’m Upgraded

While browsing through the November 2025 issue of Defense News, I came across an article on p 36 by Tom Mutch titled “Recover, Resilience and Returning From War In Ukraine.” The lead sentence was “I’m not disabled, I’m upgraded.” This struck me as particularly interesting because, in so many words, I know many of my service associates feel this way, even though they bear many scars from their time in service, some not all visible. Based on “having been there” and myself currently living with these scars, the following expands on this phrase on behalf of my fellow service members who are also living with these scars, both seen and unseen.

“I’m not disabled, I’m enhanced.” That simple shift in language captures the heart of military resilience: the ability to turn damage into capability, fear into perspective, and limitation into a new form of strength. For many service men and women living with serious medical challenges like kidney failure and dialysis, this mindset is not a slogan but a survival skill.warriorallegiance+2

From battlefields to hospital rooms

Service members are trained from day one to adapt under pressure, improvise with limited resources, and keep moving toward the mission despite pain, fatigue, and uncertainty. That same training follows them home when the “enemy” is no longer an opposing force but chronic illness, toxic exposure, or the wear and tear of years in uniform.pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih+2

Veterans are more likely than the general population to live with chronic conditions such as kidney disease, heart disease, and mental health challenges, partly due to the physical and psychological stress of service. Yet clinicians who care for veterans routinely describe them as unusually determined, grateful, and gritty in their approach to treatment.kidneyfund+2

“Enhanced,” not “broken”

When a wounded or ill veteran says “I’m enhanced,” it reframes scars, prosthetics, mobility aids, and treatment schedules as upgrades to a warrior still in the fight. A prosthetic leg becomes specialized gear; a scar becomes a campaign ribbon written on skin. The question shifts from “What did I lose?” to “What did this experience give me—perspective, empathy, discipline, a new mission?”warriorallegiance+1

This mindset does not deny pain, fatigue, or frustration; it acknowledges them and still chooses purpose. In resilience research with veterans, a stronger sense of psychological resilience is linked with better physical function and recovery after setbacks, reinforcing that how one thinks about challenges shapes how one moves through them.agsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley

Dialysis as a new kind of deployment

Kidney failure and dialysis bring their own demanding “operational tempo.” Many veterans on dialysis face multiple health issues, long travel distances, and frequent hospitalizations, yet they continue to show up, follow complex regimens, and thank their care teams. Currently, hundreds of thousands of veterans live with kidney disease, and tens of thousands live with kidney failure requiring ongoing treatment.va+3

Dialysis can feel like a standing deployment: fixed schedules, strict protocols, and the ever-present possibility of complications. But for many veteran patients, the same mindset that got them through deployments—routine, teamwork, gallows humor, and mission focus—helps them see each treatment not as punishment, but as life-sustaining logistics that keep them “in the fight” for more days with family and friends.pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih+2

Building resilience on the home front

Resilience is not just an individual trait; it is also a network. Veterans with strong social support, access to VA or community care, and clear information about their disease are better able to stick with complex treatment plans. Programs focused on veterans’ kidney health and patient engagement aim to strengthen that network, helping patients understand their options and advocate for themselves.aakp+2

For service members and veterans facing dialysis—or any serious medical condition—several habits reinforce the “enhanced, not disabled” mindset:

Treat appointments and treatments like mission-critical orders: non-negotiable, planned, and executed with discipline.sciencedirect+1
Lean on the unit: family, fellow veterans, dialysis staff, and support groups become your squad, not your audience.kidneyfund+1
Honor vulnerability as courage: asking for help, admitting fear, or talking about symptoms is not weakness; it is tactical honesty that keeps the mission going.agsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley+1
Celebrate small wins: stable labs, a smoother session, or a good walk after treatment are quiet victories worth recognizing.pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih+1

A new mission, same warrior

Every veteran on dialysis or living with chronic illness carries a story of endurance that did not end when the uniform came off. Many have already faced events that would terrify the average person, giving them a sense of proportion that turns medical procedures into “just another operation,” not the end of the line.research.va+3

To say “I’m not disabled, I’m enhanced” is to claim authorship over that story—to insist that the injury, the diagnosis, or the dialysis chair does not define the warrior sitting in it. The body may be altered, the schedule constrained, and the energy limited, but the core qualities that made them a service member—courage, discipline, loyalty, and a stubborn refusal to quit—are not diminished; in many ways, they are upgraded for a new kind of battlefield.warriorallegiance+2

“

From battlefields to hospital rooms

“Enhanced,” not “broken”

Dialysis as a new kind of deployment

Building resilience on the home front

A new mission, same warrior

Related

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Recent Posts

Recent Comments