A Hand Up – VFW

When an Auxiliary member in Muncy, Pennsylvania, suffered a near-death experience following a gruesome motorcycle crash in April, his VFW Post 3428 counterparts stepped in to provide assistance.

More than 85 people attended a fundraiser at VFW Post 3428 on behalf of Anthony Mitchell in July, helping raise $5,490 towards the Auxiliary member’s hospital bills accrued over months of intensive care and surgeries.

“It was overwhelming,” Mitchell told the PA homepage news outlet in Pennsylvania. “Even if it was not a lot of people, friends are friends.”

The wreck happened on April 30, when Mitchell lost control of his motorcycle on his way home after a benefit ride in memory of a local child that had passed away.

He recalled the grass, gravel and then the fog that comes from broken pieces after a traumatic accident shatters perception.

“From that point there, I can’t tell you what happened because I don’t know what happened,” Mitchell said. “My mind just went completely blank after that.”

Mitchell spent five weeks in the hospital nursing broken ribs, a punctured and collapsed lung, as well as blood clots. For an avid motorcyclist, the traumatic accident marked his first in more than 30 years of riding.

“After 33 years together, I just had to make sure he was okay,” said Millie Mitchell, Anthony’s wife. “He’s my best friend, my husband. I don’t know what I would do without him.”

With the mounting expenses as a result of surgeries and physical therapy since the crash, the Mitchells received a hand up by members of Post 3428, who surprised the couple with a fundraiser laden with food, live music and raffles.

Though Mitchell’s recovery remains a work in progress, he was deeply moved by the Post’s efforts to help a fellow friend and Auxiliary member the way it did.

“I get very emotional because they’re not just friends, they’re all family,” Mitchell said. “I appreciate everything.”