My road came to an unexpected halt on November 9, 2010.

I was bicycling to work that morning when a garbage truck drove into a Philadelphia bike lane. I was in that bike lane.

Trauma surgeons saved my life, but they had to amputate my left leg above the knee. The accident changed my body and health forever.

The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.

For more than a decade, that journey has become my way of moving through the world.

I am a person with ability and disability. I travel in the space between. These are my postcards.

Sunday, October 24, 2021

Rise and Meet the Day

WOO-HOO from Mile Marker 10,000!

3 sets of feet, one with a prosthetic leg, gathered around a patch of sidewalk where it's written "Congrats 10,000!  Finish."

Guess who just walked 10,000 miles on a prosthetic leg??

Me standing with arms extended in front of a sidewalk with the words, "Mile 10,000 - You rock!"
This kid!

I'm gonna keep this postcard short, but I didn't want it to get lost in the mail.

Long story short, I almost missed 10,000...

Sunday, October 17, 2021

What's In Your Backpack?

At Mile Marker 9,950...

I carry a backpack.  Always.

The hike to Hawksbill Summit is no different.

Jasmine, me, and Mary lined up on the hiking trail.

As an amputee, I learned early on that backpacks were the way to go.  

Carrying anything while walking was a challenge.  I could do more, handle more, be more when I shouldered the weight squarely on my back.  

With a backpack, I returned to work.  Walked around the city on my own.

Mom and I in the basement doing laundry.
Lugged laundry down the basement stairs.

I believed that if I could just CARRY everything, I'd be able to balance whatever life handed me.  

It's like I always carried HOPE in the front pocket of the bag.

But there's something else about backpacks too...