Taking Off

Mile Marker 126

“I wanna get ME one of those.”

I turn around.  In the midst of the lunch crowd at the corner of 15th and JFK, there's a hulk-like guy behind me marveling at my Genium, eyes wide and eyebrows raised. 

“Nah, you don’t,” Tyl quips back.

We step off the curb, heading over to her car before it gets a parking ticket.  

"But mine's gonna be an arm!” he calls after us excitedly.  “It's gonna start right here!”   He points to the middle of his bicep and makes a slicing motion with his finger.

“No," Tyl says seriously.  "You really DON'T want one.” 

We’re near the LOVE Statue, but this guy’s showing a little too much love.

We climb into the car, and Tyl starts the engine.

Only then do the words come to me.  “Start saving up,” I say.  “They're expensive.”

Mile 126 found me hiking around the city with Tyl from Prosthetic Innovations.  We filmed a video about me and my new leg -- the Genium.  How it gets me through the day from PT, to the supermarket, to my favorite spots in Center City:  Penn Center, my school, and -- of course -- Starbucks. 

My Genium and I were stars!   By the end of the day, TIRED stars!  (That goes for at least one of us, anyway....)

But you know in Hollywood, how there’s always a narrow hallway of dressing rooms, each one with a star on its door?

Well, it's like a few of those doors have opened for me lately.

No, I haven't signed a big movie deal or anything.   But tomorrow, I'm helping out as Prosthetic Innovations hosts a clinic for physical therapy students.  It'll be cool to ANSWER some questions, instead always asking them!

And next week, I'll try out volunteering at my rehab hospital.  The place where I first tasted FREEDOM last December -- in a wheelchair.  My Genium doesn't remember those days;  it was before our time together. But now we have a chance to go back in a different capacity!

To add to that excitement, my amazing nurses from the 7 Center Unit -- the ones who cared for me for over 2 months -- are planning a special WALK with me!  After all this time, they're still cheering me on!

And to top it all, I’m flying to CHICAGO this weekend!

We’re taking off in all directions, my Genium and me.   Finding our stride, new socket and all. 

But we're still “training those muscles,” as my prosthetist Tim says.    And yes Tim, trying to remember to stretch too!   It’s hard with so many new things (a.k.a. LIFE) happening around us!

Still, ahead lies a runway of new skills to master.  There's a “swipe” maneuver to go up stairs and step over obstacles on the ground.   There's weight-shifting and standing on one leg – the Genium's side of course!   And if I really want to shake things up, there's balancing on a BENT knee for inline skating mode!

Step by step, my Genium and I must learn to work as a team. 

But last night, I dreamed of flying.

Not on a plane.  I just slid open my bedroom window and floated out above the street as if Peter Pan were leading me.

In the dream, I wasn’t wearing my Genium.


I had my real leg back.

Among prostheses, my Genium IS a star.  It’s the first of its kind in Pennsylvania.   The newest prosthetic technology in the world!

Still, it is NOT MY REAL LEG. 

Tyl tried to explain that to the guy on the corner.

I’m determined to reach a time when I stop thinking about my leg as a separate being.  When running simple errands doesn't feel like stepping off a cliff.

Tim tells me that day will come.

This weekend will be a start.   I’ll test my wings at the airport with co-pilots Mom and Dad by my side.

My Genium is charged.  And my suitcase is open -- at least to any possibility that'll fit in a Ziploc bag.

So no more procrastinating....It's time to get packin’!

To quote Mark's last blog comment:   THE SKY'S THE LIMIT!

I want to believe him.


My Genium and I thank Tyl for her awesome pics!