A THOUSAND MILES: October 2021

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

WOO-HOO from Mile Marker 10,000!

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

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...

At Mile Marker 9,950...

I carry a backpack. Always.

The hike to Hawksbill Summit is no different.

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.

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...