22 Jumps

Marine Veteran Infantryman and Scout Sniper Tristan Wimmer has started a BASE jumping fundraiser to combat stigma around mental health and bring awareness to the staggering number traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and suicides among Veterans. The jumps will happen in Phoenix, Arizona on January 29th (backup date 30th), 2022 starting at sunrise. Tristan announced the launch of the 22 Jumps campaign and his Phoenix BASE Jumping event on Veterans Day. Tristan plans to support Cohen Veterans Bioscience (CVB) with other 22 Jumps events in different regions.

TBIs, and the subsequent mental health issues associated with it, often go undetected and untreated. Due to a lack of objective diagnostic tools and effective treatment solutions, the "invisible wounds" of TBI and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often leave service members and civilians feeling hopeless as they live with multiple debilitating symptoms. Tristan and other Veterans will BASE jump 22 times in one day to raise awareness and funds for research that will help make brain trauma more detectable and treatable.

Our country's heroes are increasingly taking their own lives after they return from war. Tristan's own brother - a Raider and Recon Marine Veteran with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) sustained in Iraq - struggled with injury-related depression and anxiety for a nearly a decade before he succumbed to suicide.

Frank Larkin, Navy SEAL (ret.), 40th Sergeant at Arms of the U.S. Senate, Suicide Survivor and Chair of CVB's Veterans Advisory Council supported the 2020 22 Jump event in person. His son, a highly decorated Navy SEAL took, his own life after a long struggle with TBI. Frank knows firsthand the wake of destruction that follows suicide.

22 Jumps aims to bring new hope to individuals and families affected by TBI and suicide. Through the 22 Jumps events, Tristan and Frank are bringing new hope to this epidemic by partnering with our organization to raise money for brain health research and new effective solutions for all patients.