ɫӰ’s Holistic Health Club is hosting former Pittsburgh Steeler and Vietnam veteran Rocky Bleier for a program on October 24 at 7:00 p.m. in , room 126.
The program, “Overcoming Obstacles and Becoming Your Best Self,” is free and open to the community.
After being injured in combat in Vietnam, Bleier was told he would never play football again. During the October 24 program, he will tell his story of how he had to endure the physical and emotional recovery to play again, offering a motivational message on how ordinary people can become extraordinary achievers.
Bleier, a Purple Heart and Bronze Star recipient, is an author and inspirational speaker who has actively supported causes related to military veterans for many years. He is the author of Fighting Back, a book about his life. A portion of the proceeds from his book benefit the Fighting Back for Veterans Campaign.
Not falling within the ideal of what a running back should look like, Bleier had to run harder and play smarter to be able to stand out. Despite his drive and ability to make the big play, the Pittsburgh Steelers only considered him a late round pick. But before the season ended that first year, he was drafted again—this time by the United States Army.
At the height of the Vietnam War, Bleier was thrust into combat early and was seriously wounded when his platoon ran into an ambush. Receiving wounds from both rifle fire and grenade fragments in his legs, he was barely able to walk, and his professional football career seemed to have ended before it began.
For more than two years, he drove himself. Little by little, he overcame obstacles and fought his way back. He not only made the Pittsburgh Steelers, but also eventually became a starting running back on a team that won four Super Bowls and became the greatest football team of the twentieth century.
ɫӰ’s Holistic Health Club, now in its third year, was created by Larissa Snyder, a former student in Nutrition and Allied Health Associate Professor Nicole Clark’s functional nutrition class. Clark continues to serve as the club’s advisor.
Over the past three years, the club has grown and remained true to its mission of educating people about what holistic medicine is—that people are not just “conditions.”
Madeline Gyurina, a sophomore criminology major from Pittsburgh, is the club’s president—and Bleier’s niece. During the summer, she came up with the idea of the club hosting Bleier for an inspirational program through the Holistic Health Club. Bleier is donating his time for the program.
“My students and the club members are so excited about this event,” Clark said.
“I’m so impressed with the club members and its officers, who are not nutrition majors and who are busy with many different campus activities and groups,” she said.
The club, which means every other Thursday at 7:00 p.m., focuses on programs to help students discover different aspects of health and wellness. Club meetings draw about 35 students for each meeting.
“The range of the club’s program is just amazing,” Clark said. “They have had programs ranging from yoga to integrated and functional nutrition, they went to a Pilates class, and they did a number of destress events around finals; at midterms, they hosted a speaker who talked about eating during stressful times.
“The students in the club and the club offers are really dedicated to growing the club and helping students find ways beyond the traditional methods—or non-healthy activities—to help with health and wellness, which is so important for college students,” Clark said.
Daughter of John and Kelly Gyurina, Gyurina is a 2021 graduate of Mt. Lebanon High School. In addition to her work with the Holistic Health Club, she is a Sutton Scholarship recipient and dean’s list student and is a member of the ɫӰ Marching Band and Pep Band, the Pre-Law Society, and the Criminology Association.
“I’m a criminology major, but when I saw information about the Holistic Health Club, I thought it would be a chance to get involved in something different than my major,” Gyurina said.
“I have an interest in positive mental health and mental health issues. I started coming to the club in fall 2023 and became president in my sophomore year. I really like my major and the friends that I’ve met through criminology, but the Holistic Health Club has been a great way to expand my group of friends. The nutrition and dietetics majors who I’ve met have welcomed me and I really appreciate the club’s confidence in me as president,” Gyurina said. “Being part of the club and being in a leadership position has really expanded my horizons.”
Gyurina said that the club members work to develop programs that take a “deep dive” into different aspects of holistic health, especially mental health.
“College can be a very stressful time, but keeping yourself healthy and well is so important,” she said. “Our club is open to all students from all majors. We work to make our programs relevant to everyone,” she said.
Gyurina says she believes that Bleier’s inspirational story, because it has so many different aspects, will appeal to almost everyone.
“We hope that there is one part of his story, one thing he says, or one thing he has done, that hits home and connects to people and helps them to push through their own personal challenges,” she said. “Not everyone has had the same obstacles he has had in his life, but everyone has faced some kind of challenges in their lives. He will talk about how he has developed that mental toughness to get through his life’s challenges. That’s something I think that is relatable for most people, the need to push through their own personal challenges,” she said.
Information about the Holistic Health Club is on ɫӰ’s Crimson Connect; students can also contact Gyurina by email at flcfc@iup.edu.
Gyurina will continue to work with club leadership and members to grow the club and bring additional speakers who are passionate about health, including mental health.
“We’d love to have area professionals come to future club meetings to talk about their own unique specialties and expertise,” she said.