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September 2017
Third Year Anniversary of Being an Amputee
Today marks my third year anniversary of being an amputee. Having my leg removed was one of the hardest, most grueling decisions I ever had to make. It was a drastic last resort to end the 6 years of immense … Read More →
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September 2016
Two Year Anniversary
Two years ago today, I hobbled into Saratoga hospital on my crutches, and would leave without the lower portion of my left leg. I had no idea how I would live or what I would achieve as an amputee. I … Read More →
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July 2016
15 Things I Have Learned Since Becoming A Leg Amputee
Some days the leg slips right on without a catch, while other days it take several tries to get it right. I have to factor in time to put on my leg as part of morning routine. Hopping has become … Read More →
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May 2016
Why I Do What I Do
Eight years ago I woke up each morning, swung my two healthy legs off the side of the bed and began my day. I didn’t give having two legs or walking a thought; I was just living my life like … Read More →
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March 2016
Achieving Normal Life
What is normal life? I am not sure anyone could really answer that question, and if they could it would mean many different things to many different people. For seven years I suffered unimaginable pain, endured 7 leg surgeries, wore … Read More →
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February 2016
All In The Day Of An Amputee
Statements that only a leg amputee would say. I was discussing the process of learning to walk with my prosthetic leg and talking about how I would not be able to wear it all day at first. I say: “I … Read More →
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January 2016
Change Your Life By Setting Goals
Forget New Year’s resolutions – set SMART goals for yourself instead. Ever since I can remember, December 31st through the first weeks of January all you hear about is New Year’s resolutions. My New Year’s resolution is … What’s yours? … Read More →
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November 2015
One-Legged Personal Trainer
I am super excited to begin a new chapter of my life. Tomorrow, I will start my new job as a personal trainer. The gym that I belong to, which has been a huge part of my life for the … Read More →
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November 2015
The Jury Is In On My Foot!
“Left foot, Left foot, Left foot, Right… In the house, and on the street how many, many feet you meet. Up in the air feet, Over a chair feet. More and more feet Twenty-four feet Here come more and more………….. … Read More →
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October 2015
“Don’t Leave Home Without It”
Two tubes of cream, a couple extra socks and several sheets of paper towels. “Don’t leave home without it.” The messy side of wearing a prosthesis. No complaints, the prosthetic has certainly improved my life. I can’t deny that being … Read More →
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September 2015
One-Year Anniversary
One year ago today, I began my journey as an amputee. I chose to amputate my lower left leg after six years of unsuccessful surgeries and relenting pain. It was the most agonizing and difficult decision I have ever had … Read More →
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September 2015
My “Hard Knocks” Amputee Advice
The following are the six things that I attribute to my success in quickly becoming a confident, active and fully independent single-leg amputee. Each of the five recommendations can be adjusted to fit any lifestyle the individual amputee wants. You … Read More →
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August 2015
The Agony of Defeat
For the first time since becoming an amputee I have felt defeat. After planning and waiting three months for my definitive leg, I didn’t even wear it for twenty-four hours before it caused stump troubles. That’s right – the prosthetic … Read More →
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August 2015
Crawling Under Barbed Wire
No Limits- No Excuses
“This will not only be my first time competing in the Warrior Dash, but I will also be competing as a recent amputee. I am going to crawl through mud, climb, hop and roll through 12 obstacles along a 3.2-mile … Read More →
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July 2015
Purchasing a Left Foot
“You have BRAINS in your head. You have FEET in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any Direction you choose” ~Dr. Seuss In our lifetime we make many important high-ticket purchases. Many of them we spend weeks, months, even … Read More →
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July 2015
Simple Pleasures
A walk in the park on a crisp fall day, tossing a ball with your kids in the backyard, or running through the rain. These are the simple pleasures we have in life that we enjoy every day but don’t … Read More →
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June 2015
The Power of The Challenge
I live a very good active life. Not by accident though; I made it this way. Challenging myself physically has not only given me confidence, but has made my necessary daily activities easier. Whether I am leaping onto a 24” … Read More →
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June 2015
What’s a St. Jude Warrior?
This has been a milestone weekend. I accomplished another physical goal as a lower leg amputee, eight months post surgery. The milestone was successfully completing the 28-mile route of the Tour de Cure bike ride. On to the next physical … Read More →
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May 2015
It’s Just Like Riding A Bike
How many times have you heard or used the expression, “Just like riding a bike”? This expression refers to any skill that, once learned, you will never forget. While I have found this expression to be accurate, I have also … Read More →
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April 2015
Ten Life Lessons I Have Learned In Becoming an Amputee
The following are ten lessons I have learned in my journey of becoming an amputee. You don’t need to be an amputee to follow these valuable lessons. 1. Determination goes a long way. We live so much of our lives … Read More →
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April 2015
April is Limb Loss Awareness Month
Limb Loss Awareness Month is a month dedicated to: Providing support for amputees and caregivers Educating the limb loss community Raising public awareness about amputation Teaching about amputation prevention Advocating for the limb loss community The loss of a … Read More →
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March 2015
Six Month Post-Amputation
The results of the amputation have far exceeded my expectations. Six months of positive attitude, determination and hard work have had a huge payoff. The amputation took care of the debilitating painful leg and the prosthesis gave me a new … Read More →
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March 2015
Keeping the Magic In Disney
“I always like to look on the optimistic side of life, but I am realistic enough to know that life is a complex matter.” Walt Disney If you know me or have been following my story on my blog, you’ll … Read More →
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March 2015
How To Find Your Exercise High
What does a one-legged man do at the gym? Anything he wants. Five months post leg amputation and I am in the best state of mind and physical shape that I have been in for a very long time. I … Read More →
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February 2015
Determination-Skiing As An Amputee
A little over four months ago I entered the operating room to have my lower left leg amputated. I left the operation minus a left leg, but with the determination to get my life back. I wanted to relieve myself … Read More →
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February 2015
What Blogging Can Do!
I recently read a blog post by Paula Reed Nancarrow, titled 2014: The Year Blogging Refused to Die. In the post she discusses the history of blogs, why people blog and why many blogs have died out. At the end … Read More →
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January 2015
How To Make A DIY Faux Leg
I am not ashamed or embarrassed that my lower left leg is missing, so why would I want to disguise my prosthetic leg with a cover made of Styrofoam and pantyhose? From the very first time amputating my leg became … Read More →
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January 2015
Just Because I Can! Can You?
“I wasn’t waiting for the prosthetic leg to resume my life, I was out living it.” My view is very different than … Read More →
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December 2014
Don we now our leg… A walk through of my Prosthetic Leg!
Don we now our leg, fa la la la la, la la la la. Today, Santa delivered my temporary leg just in time for Christmas. Well, not really Santa, but my wonderful prosthetist Brain, who measured, fitted and built my … Read More →
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December 2014
Is The Magic In The Leg or The Attitude?
Last week I ran into a friend who I hadn’t seen since before the amputation. Her response to me was: “Darryl, I can’t believe how freely you are moving, I can tell in your movement, face and demeanor that a … Read More →
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November 2014
How Being Thankful Can Make Life Easier
For the past seven weeks, I have experienced life as a one-legged man. While I have spent years using crutches, of which plenty of that time was non-weight bearing, none of it quite compares to having the leg missing. Needless … Read More →
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2014
Phantom Pain
Five weeks ago I had my lower left leg amputated. A strange and interesting phenomenon is that I still feel a strong force pushing my left foot backwards. The feeling is so real and so strong that it cannot be … Read More →
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October 2014
Waking Up An Amputee
My eyes opened. In a bubble above me I see the silhouettes of nurses looking down at me, telling me to go back to sleep. I doze off, then I come to again. I don’t feel anything from my waist … Read More →
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September 2014
Archie sitting in his chair!
The Archie Bunker Chair -Making Recovery More Comfortable!
For those of you too young to know about Archie Bunker’s Chair, it was a major part of the 1970’s sitcom “All in the Family”. The television show ran from January 1971 to April 1979 and was the #1 TV … Read More →
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September 2014
Why We Need A Sense of Humor
“Above all else, go with a sense of humor. It is needed armor. Joy in one’s heart and some laughter on one’s lip is a sign that the person down deep has a pretty good grasp of life.” ~Hugh Sidney … Read More →
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August 2014
Could You Choose Amputation?
In coming to terms with accepting and living with my disability I have said to my therapist many times, “I just want the normal problems in life.” Facing the decision of whether or not to amputate a leg definitely doesn’t … Read More →
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August 2014
How Disability Impacts Your Family
Becoming a disabled parent means that your disability becomes a family affair. It is not only you the disability affects – it impacts your spouse and children as well. In a sense your disability becomes your family’s disability. While discussing … Read More →
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July 2014
How Volunteering Saved Me!
“It is one of the beautiful compensations of life, that no man can sincerely help another without helping himself.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson While dropping my daughter off to do some volunteering at a carnival our temple was hosting, I learned … Read More →
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July 2014
Crutch tip + Business card = Fall
Office Crutch Hazards 101
“There are hazards in anything one does but there are greater hazards in doing nothing.” - Shirley Williams Hazards are everywhere! As a full-time crutch user, I have learned to navigate my world depending on two rubber soles the size … Read More →
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June 2014
Being Happy Overrated!
“Being a positive person is not about ‘being happy’ all the time. It’s about finding the bright spots in situations.” ~ Unknown Social media is overloaded with all kinds of quotes on being positive and being happy. These quotes are … Read More →
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June 2014
Crutch Talk Etiquette
The familiar and tiresome conversation. The other day as I was heading to the parking garage elevators, a man getting on ahead of me noticed I was heading that way and kindly held the doors so I could make that … Read More →
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June 2014
Exercise and DisabilityLet me begin by saying that there are a vast amount of disabilities out there and I am by no means an expert on disabilities. I do, however know that people suffering from many disabling conditions can achieve exercise of … Read More →
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May 2014
My crutches 10 seconds after sitting down at the Ice Cream Shope.
Just Don’t Trip On My Crutches!
It’s funny how something so useful can cause so many problems. From the very first time I used a pair of crutches I have constantly found myself faced with the dilemma of what to do with them when they are … Read More →
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Apr 20
A Change in Perspective
Merriam Webster Dictionary defines ‘perspective’ as “the capacity to view things in their true relations or relative importance.” I have found that a change in perspective can be the difference between accepting a circumstance and not accepting it. It is … Read More →
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Apr06
Ten Ways to Carry Things When Using Crutches to Walk
Crutches do the job they are made for very well. They are essentially a way to extend your arms’ reach to the ground assisting you with walking. The problem is, your hands are needed to hold on to the … Read More →
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Taking Our Legs for Granted
“It’s not the disability that defines you; it’s how you deal with the challenges the disability presents you with.” –Jim Abbott- We don’t realize the value of our legs until we can no longer use one. Most of my life … Read More →
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Mar09
Teaching The Way A Child Learns
This picture of Michael J. Fox appeared on my Facebook news feed sometime over the past few weeks. For me it was a sad reminder that I no longer teach. This quote was the hallmark of how I taught, … Read More →
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Feb23
Playing In The Snow
The best way to combat the winter blues is to get out and enjoy the snow. The best way to overcome a disability is to stop dwelling on what you can’t do and focus on what you can do. So … Read More →–
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Feb09
Paralympics and Misconceptions of Disability
Once again the Olympic Games are upon us. For 16 days the Olympics will be on the world stage, so we can turn on our TVs and see the footage all day long. Like many other families, my family will … Read More →
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Jan26
How Skiing Shaped My Life Part 2
Four tracking
If you missed part one How Skiing Shaped My Life – Part 1 In 1992 I married my wonderful wife who, without skiing, I most likely would have never met. She went from the worse ski lesson I had ever … Read More →
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How Skiing Shaped My Life – Part 1
“Skiing – the art of catching a cold and going broke while rapidly heading nowhere at great personal risk.” (Henry Beard & Roy McKie) I love this definition of skiing, but in my case it couldn’t be farther from the … Read More →
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The picture above is worth a thousand words. Look at the condition of those crutches these amputees are using. Anyone who has ever had to use a pair of crutches even temporarily knows how difficult and exhausting it can be … Read More →
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Finding the Correct Mindset/Attitude
“The only disability in life is a bad attitude.” – Scott Hamilton These are indeed excellent words to live by. A poor attitude will disable you and isolate you from life. Adapting a positive attitude is essential, but not always … Read More →
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Featured November Sidstix user of the month.
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Chronic Pain an Invisible Disability
In a recent blog about disability being the costume that you wear, I discussed the visibility of a disability. The costume is an analogy which people can visibly see when they look you. The crutches, wheelchairs, braces or walkers easily … Read More →
I am very fortunate that my disability doesn’t prohibit me from using any bathroom available. A port-a-potty included. Even on the days I can’t bear any weight down on my left foot, I am able to enter any bathroom and … Read More →
Posted on October 29, 2013
Halloween, the time of year when people all around the country are busy planning their elaborate costumes. Wearing a costume is an opportunity to dress up like someone else. A costume is also used as a way to get noticed. … Read More →
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Posted on October 15, 2013
I am not under the assumption that just because I have a disability I should get special treatment, so when I enter a parking lot I scan the available spaces and then decide whether I feel I need the handicap … Read More →
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Job hunting is dismal enough in this job market when you are a 48-year-old man who uses crutches to walk. A few weeks ago, while sitting in the lobby of a large company during a hiring open house, a woman … Read More →
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The payoff for Hard Work and Determination
Last week, I doubted whether a good attitude and hard work had really paid off. After receiving the news that one job that had my name all over it was given to someone else, it was difficult for me to … Read More →
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Lesson Learned!
I leaned the old lesson from Aesop’s Fable “The Milkmaid and Her Pail”: “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch” last week. In my plight to regain my life I needed to find a way to successfully obtain employment. One … Read More →
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My Love-Hate Relationship with Crutches
Since ancient times, man has carved staffs out of wood to walk while suffering from leg injuries. Today, these staffs, called crutches, are constructed of wood or aluminum, and make walking possible when you have an injured or unusable leg. … Read More →
