Take Two

Mile Marker 335:

If you think back on your life, you can probably come up with at least one "do over" moment.  One event or conversation you'd re-live if given the chance.  A minute or two you'd like to replay just a little bit differently, a little better than you did the first time.  

My guess is that LEARNING TO WALK doesn’t rank real high on that list.

Why not?  We all know your first steps were sloppy.  You wobbled across the room unsteadily.  You toppled onto your butt before your mom even had time to grab a camera.

But the thing is, you don't REMEMBER it.

I don't remember my first steps either.  But I'm fairly certain that when I toddled into the walking world, my mom wasn't giving pointers like, “Take a bigger step with your right foot.”  And I'd bet all the stock in Apple that -- in September 1970 -- my dad was not capturing the proud moment on his iPhone!

But none of us will forget TAKE TWO. 

One year ago today, on February 11, 2011, I re-took those first steps at Prosthetic Innovations.

And this time, I remember every detail.   Nervously letting go of the parallel bars.  Jerking my little left leg through each step.  Tripping over that C-Leg like it was stuck in the mud.

It was a momentous Friday, indeed.  Nestled inside a dark winter of ER trips and hospital stays, it was the one shining star.  The one we all hoped would guide me into a brighter future.

But like the first time, this moment took us by surprise.  Mom was at work.  Dad was out running an errand.  He returned half-way through my first lap.

Luckily, prosthetist Tim knew what to expect.  He had everything under control -- teaching me how to walk and shooting cell phone video at the same time!

That night, my family and I sat around the kitchen table.  We enlarged the video till its grainy picture filled up my laptop screen.  We played it over and over again until we'd memorized every chuckle, every breath, every helpful tip from Tim.  I posted it to Facebook.  Then I watched it some more.  And when all was said and done, we agreed:  It was the BEST DAY in a very long time!

Now a year has passed.  Yesterday at PI, I took my newest test socket for a spin.  So far, so good.

I also caught up with buds (and fellow clients) Brian and Zach, whom I hadn’t seen for a long while.

But there was another celebration going on -- one even bigger and better.  I mean "FIRST STEPS" better!

I met Bob.

Yesterday, four months after his traumatic accident on October 10, 2011, Bob re-took his first steps.

Bob is a bilateral amputee -- one above-knee, one below.  For every one of my steps, Bob TAKES TWO.

I watched as Bob took his first stroll outside the parallel bars.  I saw him figuring out how to place each foot against the ground.  Those sweaty palms, those uneven steps.  That hard-to-control knee.  I remembered all of it!

By the second lap, I was practically bouncing out of my seat with excitement.  

Maybe you’ve heard of a “guest blogger?”  

I couldn't help myself.  Right then and there, I handed over my pedometer.

I'm honored to introduce this blog's first "GUEST WALKER"...  Bob!
  

Did you applaud??  I did.

With those steps, we passed Mile Marker 335.2.
One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind?

Nope.

If you ask Brian or Zach, or anyone from PI, they will tell you that every step is a BIG one!

HAPPY WALKING DAY, BOB!

Welcome (back) to the club!

The journey of a thousand miles begins with…. Wait!  You’ve already begun.