VCU news

By Anne Dreyfuss
C. Kenneth and Dianne Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research

Virginia Commonwealth University physical therapy students are doing pushups together every day and challenging their peers to do the same, but it may not be for the reasons you think.

“It raises awareness for a great cause,” first-year VCU physical therapy student Gloria Han said. The 23-year-old is leading her class on the 22 pushup challenge, a social media campaign meant to draw attention to veteran suicides.

In 2012, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs published a report stating that an average of 22 veterans die from suicide every day. The report’s staggering statistics inspired former marine Andy Nguyen to create the 22 pushup challenge. The challenge encourages people to post a video of themselves completing 22 pushups to honor the 22 veterans who take their lives every day. Participants post videos on social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter with the hashtag #22kill and challenge others to do the same.

“My hope is that the challenge will bring about more awareness toward the mental health of military veterans to our community and beyond,” Han said. “We are extremely thankful for their service and simply want to honor them.”

During an interprofessional education course on Oct. 6, the physical therapy students challenged first-year nursing, pharmacy, dentistry, dental hygiene and occupational therapy students to participate in the challenge as well.

“The challenge brought my class closer together and promoted team building,” Han said. “Hopefully it will do the same for other health profession students.”

We are extremely thankful for their service and simply want to honor them.

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