How Shane Kruchten’s life was saved
“Screw it. It’s time to run the wheels off this bad boy. I had no faith left in humanity and no faith left in myself,” said Shane Kruchten, whose trainer saved his life.
Shane Kruchten, 29, fought and lost to Mike Corey via RNC in the second round, at the top of the prelim card at WSoF 9 Saturday night.
Losing is terrible; you can see it is in his face. Kruchten rose to his knees, and pointed upwards…
The Iraq War Marine veteran was pointing upward to the 19 of his fallen comrades whose names are tattooed on his back, to let them know he will never give up.
Kruchten was medically discharged from the Marines in 2005 because of problems with PTSD. He fought Saturday night at 6′ 1″ and 145, but before he found mixed martial arts, his weight ballooned up to 262.
Kruchten credits his corner man, Nobie Lara, a veteran with the Wounded Warrior Project, for getting him back into shape, focused on training, eating organic food, pursuing mixed martial arts, and saving his life.
In an interview with Keith Rogers for the Las Vegas Review Journal, Kruchten tells his story.
They are always going to be behind me, pushing me. And at the same time, it gives me a secondary drive in life to always push forward because anytime I’m tired, anytime I’m hungry or I’m cutting weight for a fight or I’m in a fight and maybe it’s not going my way … I just think my brothers on my back would be kicking me right in the face if they could be here, yelling at me, telling me to drive forward, he said.
In the Marine Corps, it’s ‘Semper Fi,’ which is ‘always faithful,’ said Kruchten. And I will always be faithful to my brothers. I want to give them a reason to look down and give that proverbial thumbs-up.
Most people only lose their loved ones and maybe a friend or two in their whole life. You know before I was 21 I had lost 19 within a two-year gap.”
When I came back from Iraq, something wasn’t right. Something wasn’t clicking. I went and asked for help. They asked me what was going on and I told them I’m drinking heavily, I’m not sleeping. I’m depressed. The word depressed came out of my mouth.
My life changed 180 degrees in 24 hours. I had letters from division psychologists saying I wasn’t allowed to go near the armory. I could not handle my weapon. I could not leave my barracks. … I was a prisoner in my own world. These guys that I would lay down the world for are stripping me of everything I earned.
I was lost in the sauce.”
[the Department of Veterans Affairs] rushed me off to a psychologist. I’ve never had more pills given to me. Kind of, ‘Here take this, this, this, this, this.’ I didn’t feel as if I was getting help. I was just getting medicated and making me into a zombie. That was kind of my downfall. My beginning of my downfall.”
“I was eating fast food. And I was doing a bunch of unhealthy behaviors.”
I don’t want to put this all on the VA because it’s not the VA’s fault. They were doing their job, and I applaud the VA for all the amazing things they been doing and have done for the veterans. Because without the VA, most of us would be flat on our face homeless, unfortunately. So the VA has done nothing but the right things.
It’s what the veteran does. What I was doing was abusing my health.”
I was gaining this weight. I was like, ‘It’s OK. I can go eat this 5,000-calorie, huge greasy box of cheese nuggets at 3 in the morning, after drinking heavily at the bar all night and pass out.
On June 14, 2009, he tried to take his life, thinking, I’m nothing but wasted space and I’m making people depressed. Screw it. It’s time to run the wheels off this bad boy. I had no faith left in humanity and no faith left in myself.
That was quite a wake-up call.”
[Coach Nobie Lara] saved my life.
“[Still] very day in my life is like a roller coaster. I always hope to be at the tallest part, but sometimes I’m on that old rickety roller coaster. That’s the wooden one that’s real sketchy, and I’m flying towards the bottom. Sometimes I’m at the highest of the high, and sometimes I’m at the lowest of the low.
To anybody who has suicidal thoughts, make sure you reach your hand out. There is somebody that will listen. Nobody is against you. And people aren’t going to judge you.
Just reach out. I didn’t reach out until it was almost too late, and by the grace of God I’m still here and I’m able to empower others.