The Path Forward

I’m all for living in the present—letting go of the past and not waiting for the future. But sometimes we have to look back a bit in order to strengthen our resolve so we can take the path forward. We need to acknowledge the progress we have made.

A year ago at this time, I was struggling to walk. My left foot was swollen, cold, painful and essentially devoid of circulation. I had to wear a slipper because I couldn’t tolerate a running shoe. For someone accustomed to walking seven or eight miles a day—although not without discomfort because of lower limb issues that plagued me for years—I struggled just to hobble around the house.

Today, I’m grateful to be able to walk much longer distances than I could have imagined a year ago, even though I’m now missing that foot. As I mentioned in a previous post doctors needed to amputate the foot because of a circulation problem that they couldn’t fix.

With the help of a prosthetic limb that I received last summer, I’m able to walk essentially pain free and with as normal a gait as I’ve had in years. In an ironic twist, losing a foot gave me improved mobility.

Here’s me recently walking at a local preserve:

Okay, so I will not be competing in any marathon races any time soon. But honestly, if I hadn’t mentioned it would you be able to tell that I was missing my left foot and ankle? This is by no meant as a boast. I’m just pointing out that we are capable of overcoming setbacks if we put our mind to it.

This hasn’t always been an easy road. Would I have wanted things to go differently when I went into the hospital a year ago to have the foot problem resolved? Of course! But things didn’t go that way, so I’ve had to adapt to a new reality and make the most of it.

To begin with, I depended on a wheelchair and a walker to get around until I received the first prosthetic leg. Then I slowly became accustomed to this new part of me and basically relearned how to walk.

At first, the prosthetic felt heavy and awkward. I was a bit overwhelmed as I got accustomed to the idea of putting it on and keeping my balance when I got up to move around. I knew that not everyone can wear these devices and I wasn’t sure it could work for me. But I made up my mind to try and to keep trying, because it was the only option I had for walking on my own.

Soon I was able to get around with a cane, and kept gradually increasing the distances I could go. And then finally, I could walk without needing the cane at all. It was a nice feeling. My legs, which had lost a lot of muscle during my five-week stay in the hospital, continued to get stronger. So did my determination.

Now, it’s hard for me to remember what it felt like to rely on devices for mobility. I’m back to the point of being annoying by walking around the house so much. At the beginning of this year I set a goal of walking about three miles a day. So far I’ve been able to achieve that and will try to keep it up. Each step is a triumph, thanks to the prosthetic and my body’s ability to recover.

In June, I’m scheduled to receive a new prosthetic foot that’s designed to provide a greater range of movement. The prosthetist said it will enable me to walk on more challenging terrain such as hiking trails. I’m looking forward to trying it out, but in the meantime I’m appreciating the artificial foot I have right now.

I think we all have a built-in resiliency. Sometimes it’s difficult to reach down deep and tell ourselves we are capable of taking the first steps. But if we can do that, the rest often just falls into place. We start to regain our sense of balance—in my case, literally.

Over the past year I’ve drawn inspiration from a number of people. I want to point out one in particular. This is a man I met while attending physical therapy sessions last summer. He had lost both his feet as well as both hands. I was in awe as I watched him put on his prosthetic legs using his prosthetic hands. He had become so adept at doing this that it seemed to come naturally to him.

At one point he was running on a treadmill, supported by tethers so he wouldn’t fall off. It was as vigorous a workout as I can imagine, and he was doing it without his own feet or hands. To me, this was a valuable lesson in grit and determination. I’m sure it was difficult for him.

What was most striking about this man, though, was his attitude. He was not only determined, but upbeat, and full of enthusiasm and positivity. This reinforced my thinking that losing a limb is not a reason to be morose, or to give up on enjoying quality of life.

We all have our own challenges to deal with, whether they be physical, emotional, psychological, or some combination of these. The trick is to not give up. We’ve all been giving the gift of life, along with the struggles that are part of the human experience. And we’ve all been given the choice of how to respond to the challenges we face.

“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.”—Henry Ford

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