Army Ten Miler

Yesterday was a milestone in my amputee life.  For the first time ever I ran 10 miles.  Consecutively.  Without stopping.  In under two hours.

I owe much of yesterday's success to my wife, Brooke.  She's been running these races for years while I've been the spectator.  This was our first time to race together.  

We kept a good pace throughout the race and got an enormous outpouring of support from other runners.  High fives were easy to come by at every mile.  We even had a group of runners ask if they could pace with us for a few miles.

At the end of the race I felt strong enough to keep going another three miles.  So next March I plan on running my first half marathon with Brooke (the Rock 'n Roll USA Half Marathon).  

The leg felt amazing throughout the entire race.  I couldn't believe how great it did.  Mark, Elliot, Megan, and Ben at Orthotic Prosthetic Center all did an amazing job getting this leg to fit and perform the way it did.

The race ended up being a moment to reflect over the last four years.  We've endured pain, suffering, recoveries, glimmers of hope, and eventual setbacks.  This amputation was absolutely the best thing we could do to improve our lives.  I am so glad I did it.  And I can't thank you all enough for the love and support over the years.  I'm not sure where we'd be without it.

Joey

Brooke and I first met Joey the day after Dr. Jeng told him he was out of options.  Ankle fusion was the last card in the deck.  The last choice he had to get rid of his severe ankle arthritis.  Worse, there was no guarantee that the fusion would work.  Joey suffered from a rare disease called Pigmented Villonodular Synovitis (PVNS).  Over time it destroys the bone and synovial membrane surrounding the joint, leading to debilitating ankle arthritis.  Arthroscopic surgery and radiation treatments didn't help.

Over dinner, that night we first met, I told Joey to cut his leg off.

Two weeks ago, Joey cut his leg off.  He even made it easier for Dr. Attinger with a new tattoo.  You should check out all of his ridiculous pictures.  You may have already come across them.  The album made the front page of reddit.com earlier this week, and has sense spread to other websites and news outlets.

Joey is still only two weeks into the recovery, but he's doing great.  He has an amazing support group in Johnna, his girlfriend, his family, and his friends.  We chat regularly about the recovery process.  The first year sucks.  But on his one year ampuversary, we're going for a run to reflect on our decision.  That will be a good day.

A prosthetic design company called UNYQ came across Joey's story and started a crowd funding campaign with Reddit users to raise money for a prosthetic cover for his new leg.  With just a few day's left, the campaign is a couple hundred dollars short of meeting the goal of $2,000.  If that goal is reached, the company will add in another $2,000.

Joey gave me a call today.  He spoke with UNYQ and, if the goal is reached, they will give me a prosthetic cover as well out of the company's matching contributions!

Running like its 2014

You've seen this apology before.  Guy creates blog.  Shows you gross pictures.  Then, like that, disappears.  Never to be heard from again.

I'm sorry.

I'm still here.  And I'm still dominating.

Last night, I ran over 5 miles in my new running leg.  From my apartment to the Washington Monument and back with my wife, Brooke.  We haven't run that far together since 2007.

I cannot begin to tell you how amazing my life has been since I cut my leg off.  But I know that I need to take the time to document our lives in the last few months.  There are so many of us out there that need to know there's more for us after debilitating ankle pain.

So please stay tuned!