Our Story

October 29, 2018, Navy SEAL Chad Wilkinson took his life.

While approaching his 21st year active duty and experiencing multiple combat deployments, his body and his mind had taken too much.

Following his death, his family donated his brain to science and would later learn he suffered from interface astroglial scarring. This scarring is similar to the more readily heard chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) or punch drunk. However, interface astroglial scarring is specific to our veterans in that it doesn’t necessarily occur with physical contact or trauma but rather blast waves they are exposed to in both training and combat.

This scarring is making its way into our military due to excessive exposure to blast wave injury experienced in both training and combat.

Chad was an aspiring mountaineer, and following his death the world took to Chad’s workout for climbing expeditions: 1,000 box step-ups with a 45 lb pack. This workout is now known as CHAD1000X, and has grown to be a testament of the struggles our military face with PTSD, TBI’s and blast wave injury. As Chad often said, “Uncomfortable can’t last forever”. This annual Veterans Day workout now serves as a trademarked platform for fellow Americans to honor our veterans and their invisible wounds. We stand beside them in support, we honor their struggle and will fight for their comfort as they have for us.

Thus, The Step Up Foundation was born.

A Legacy Continued

Chad’s wife, Sara Wilkinson, was always familiar with a military life as she grew up the youngest to a father in the Marine Corp. Her upbringing allowed her to understand the stress, high cycle times, of deployments and frequent training trips while furthering to instill her independence and resilience.

Unfortunately, she’s learned even the most prepared can be unprepared in the wake of suicide. Sara has seen firsthand the hardships among the special operations community specific to multiple combat deployments, high cycle times and too many friends lost leaving lasting stress on the operators and their families. While her experience is within the Navy SEAL community she fully understands that many of our veterans are struggling regardless of branch, rank, or time in service. Sara is dedicated to using her voice and her story to change the narrative and the number to this veteran suicide epidemic.

How We’re Making a Difference:

Through physical challenges and speaking engagements, The Step Up Foundation will raise funds to increase support of programs dedicated to the research and treatment of these injuries while honoring the sacrifice made by our veterans.