Month: April 2011

Yes, you heard me… Humbled. Right it down, mark it on a calendar. Anyone who knows me well will tell you, I have an ego as big as a Mac truck, I don’t think I am ever wrong, and HUMBLE is not a word oft used to describe me.

But, I am.

This Saturday there is a benefit being held for me. There is a poker run, BBQ plate sales, auction and a Karaoke dance afterwards. I couldn’t begin to tell you how many donations have already been made for this event, and how many people have already volunteered their time.

Barnes and Nobles has donated things, local coal mines have donated, private individuals have donated… Cooking, preparing, auction items, services, printing needed forms, running, gophering, phone calls, donating space, donating time, volunteering as poker run dealers…. The list goes on and on.

Humbled, I tell ya. I can’t even begin to express my gratitude. I would say I am speechless, but c’mon, this is me. Thank you, everyone, for all your help.

I am doing my best to put it to good use. I am not exaggerating when I say that the total cost of my illness is close to half a million dollars. ICU, hospital stays, prosthetic legs (and hopefully fingers), rehab, operations, operations and more operations. Not to mention travel expenses.

My insurance covered a lot, but my cut is still quite substantial. I am not working right now, and social security disability has yet to start. I am like everyone else, I have bills to pay besides all that has occurred because of my illness.

You guys have helped me keep from losing everything. And again, I thank you…

Last week or two has been somewhat trying for me. I make strides in my progress, then I have to take a few days off. That is frustrating. Over the weekend I went to a turkey shoot at Rooster Run Lodge, then spent the rest of the afternoon at the local gun club with my brother and son.

I got to break out my sidearms and rifles and put quite a few rounds downrange. I have a 10-22 rifle with a “Dragunov” stock on it. Basically, a pistol grip stock with an open butt end. I was very pleased to find that I can still use what is left of my dominate hand to hold, aim and fire my rifle. My left middle finger has just enough there to do the job!

Now, with my pistol, I had to shoot right handed, which is a bummer. My groupings with my 9mm short, quite frankly, sucked. I banged my thumb remnant a few times with the slide action before I got a good feel for my modified hand position. OUCH!

I also did a lot of walking this past weekend. Inside the house I can, for the most part, walk unaided for short distances. My son and I walked down the hill to my house to check on my motorcycle. I had to use hand crutches outside, of course, and walking on inclines is tough when your ankles don’t bend!

We made it down there, though. My bike seems to be all in one piece, and it was a site for sore eyes! She is a pretty thing, and it breaks my heart that I will no longer be able to ride my ‘Zuki. The foot pegs are just too far back, and it is just too top heavy for me. Oh, well, cruiser bike with forward controls, here I come….

Anyway, all that walking got to me. Just like buying a new pair of shoes, there is a certain amount of break in time needed for walking with prosthetics. My residual limbs need time to build up tolerance, and overdoing it causes rub spots that can be painful.

Well, I overdid it. For the past few days now I have had to stay off of my legs to let them heal up. I want to be able to walk some on Saturday at the benefit, so I have to take a break to heal. But I WILL be there Saturday, and I WILL walk. I promise you that.

So, hope to see you all out there.. It will be so nice to get to hang out with my friends!

Oh, and don’t worry, I wont stay humble for long… This is me, after all! 😉