Mark Patton
A U.S. Army Veteran, Mark Patton, acquired most of his injuries during his 20 years of active-duty service. Varying from having his original nose replaced, three total knee replacements, to PTSD and numerous TBI episodes. He lost the ability to walk unexpectedly a couple of years ago, from what appears to be the result of trauma and his brain’s reaction. He was told he’d never walk again, but others like Angel City Sports and Mark himself, believe he CAN.
For Mark, adaptive sports gave him the ability to practice radical acceptance and embrace the opportunity ahead of him.
When he decided to come out to Angel City Games in the summer of 2025, he was extremely nervous. He had only done one winter adaptive sports event with Wounded Warrior Project prior and had never done any of the adaptive sports offered at the Angel City Games before. His family urged him on through his nerves, and he did the hardest part – he showed up. “I am not sure I would be here today if I had not attended,” Mark shares.
“I felt alive again and began to seek out any and all adaptive sports opportunities. I am a huge believer in the power of mindfulness as medicine and adaptive sports are the only places I feel truly in the moment. I have my competitive juices back and rearing to take my sports to as high a level as possible.”
At the Angel City Games, Mark experienced a few magical moments. One was being urged by a Paralympian to try wheelchair tennis, a sport I had no interest in at the time. Now…I adore it and am involved with JTCC in Maryland. The second one is the circle of inspiration that was on display between the youth athletes and the adult competitors. It was a bond and instant camaraderie amongst diverse backgrounds that I haven’t seen outside of the military. I found my home. My people.
“Sports are important because they can be lifesaving and life-changing,” says Mark. “I lost able-bodied friends who assumed I couldn’t do sports anymore. I started to believe they were right until I was embraced at the Angel City Games. Sports give me a sense of belonging, competition, goals, friendship, and purpose.”
“When I ended up hurt and ultimately in a wheelchair, I thought life was done. Despite my loving wife and two wonderful sons, I was feeling worthless and contemplating an exit as I was breathing, not living. Two things in LA saved my life. One was Angel City Sports. Everybody deserves sport – it should not have to be a luxury pursuit for the disabled community.”
Mark heard about Angel City Sports and Angel City Games through community partner Wounded Warrior Project. Like other athletes who are far from Los Angeles, transportation can be a barrier to trying adaptive sports if they have nothing close to them. Thankfully, through a partnership with Fisher House Hero Miles, they helped Mark attend Angel City Games because of his military background. But even where he lives, it is not very accessible, and he’s unable to drive. So, he is reliant on family or somebody to get him to events or practice. This makes it frustrating and hard to maintain a steady practice structure.
“ACS gave me permission to be bold, showed me it is ok to have fun in my wheelchair, and it sparked a passion for me to enable inclusivity in sports.
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