To that end, he has worked with Remo Airaldi, on public speaking, which remains an obstacle for Lopez since he retains some speech dysarthria from his injury. The Extension School professor and student shared a mutual admiration. “Just look at him,” said Airaldi, who is also a lecturer in the College’s Theater, Dance & Media concentration. “He’s an amazing person. He had every reason to hide somewhere and crawl into a shell. When he talked to me about taking a public-speaking class, I was a little concerned; you have to put yourself out there and be present every week. But he told me what he wants to do with the rest of his life, which is to inspire people. He can tell you what a bawling mess I was in our last class together.”

Lopez feels that their work together has been invaluable. “I wanted to get my confidence back, and Airaldi was the man for that,” he said. “He helped me take it to the next level.” He also credited Airaldi with helping him get his spiritual priorities in order. “I remember Remo telling me something Buddha said, that holding onto anger is like holding onto a hot coal with the intention of throwing it at someone. You’re going to be the one that gets burned.”

Lopez’s family has a long history of military service, and he was just 8 years old when he resolved to join the SEALs. “My uncle was in the Navy in the 1980s,” he said, “and he told me, ‘If you really want to be a bad dude, you want to be a Navy SEAL.’ I did everything I could to make it happen. I became a Boy Scout, Sea Explorer, Sea Cadet. I became a lifeguard. I got my SCUBA certification; I did Junior ROTC in high school. The dream became an obsession, and the obsession became a reality.”

It’s not a dream that many get to realize. Lopez says the Navy recruits about 40,000 people every year, and about half of those express interest in becoming a SEAL. Only 6 percent make the cut. “You think you are prepared,” he said, “but when you show up, nothing can prepare you for the kick in the gut you are going to get.” He served in more than 25 countries and saw combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.

He took his first Harvard classes before the heart attacks, but during his recovery read something that strengthened his resolve to return to his studies: a profile of U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, a fellow military veteran who graduated with a degree from Harvard Extension School after losing both legs and part of his hand while deployed in Afghanistan. “I was so inspired by his perseverance,” said Lopez. “And I thought that if he could persevere through that, my heart attacks and brain injury were nothing.”

Lopez took a methodical approach to his planned return to Harvard classes. He retook the School’s test of critical reading and writing to give himself a good indicator of where his writing stood. He took a course at Tidewater Community College in Virginia Beach, and came to campus for a cross-cultural expository writing course to feel a part of Harvard’s environment.

Lopez studied “Fundamentals of Academic Writing” in the 2017 January session with Rebecca Summerhays. After earning his first A in introductory psychology with Todd Farchione, he learned he was an official Harvard Extension School candidate. “I am not finished healing,” Lopez said. “The goal is 100 percent. I know now the journey begins. Every time I come to Cambridge for class, it is an indescribable feeling of joy.”

Lopez gave a well-received talk on campus during Veterans Day weekend last year and hopes there will be more of those speaking experiences in his future. “What happened to me was beyond crazy,” he said. “But I am alive. I am here. Everybody at some point faces a situation that is dark and heavy. They may feel that they can’t get out of it, but I want to help inspire people to see that anything is possible.”