Tag: wellness

Compete

Compete

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Find Your Purpose, Set Goals, and Get to Work

This is me BEFORE my knee injury that led to amputation

Competition gives you focus and direction in life. It helps to define your day, provides a sense of purpose, and helps build character and resilience.

All my life I have been competitive. I had big brothers around always “toughening me up”, and sports were an every moment event, whether competing on our home basketball court or joining teams that played every weekend.

I think these moments served me well, and prepared me for a life after limb loss.

For some of you, the journey has been a long and hard one. It hasn’t been easy and you may feel like giving up.

Maybe you even think that “this is as good as it gets”, but I’m here to tell you, DON’T GIVE UP!!!

You can do this! Last week I talked about mindset, well, this is the time to put your mindset to the test and work on positive self-talk.

 

 

On the hard days, when things hurt or you feel out of sorts, or maybe you are not at a point of wearing your prosthetic yet, you may get discouraged…heck! Maybe you ARE discouraged. Now is the time to buckle in and dig deep. This is the time to set those goals and reach for them.

When I find myself in the struggle where pain is winning and I feel like doing nothing and getting depressed about this moment in life that things aren’t going as planned, that’s when I find something to take my mind off of it. I usually find something that brings out the competitor in me. This gives me a goal, a purpose, and consumes my time which takes the attention off of what I’m struggling with.

 

How about you? What do you do to fill your time? Give yourself purpose? Or distract your thoughts changing them into a positive flow?

 

 

Now it’s your turn.

Let’s turn your situation into something positive and meaningful, even if you feel like everything is going wrong and you aren’t where you want to be.

 

Set goals.

Be realistic but challenging.

If you aren’t able to wear your prosthetic just yet then don’t get down on yourself, remember life is a journey, the good and bad of it, so make some lemonade while you wait.

Once you’ve reached those goals, then go ahead and set more. Keep creating challenges for yourself. Setting yourself up for success in the waiting will eventually make you see that you are not waiting for life to happen to you anymore, but that you are living it.

 

Enjoy the process.

You deserve it and you are strong enough.

You are a warrior!

Hope your goal setting is epic just like you!

And until next time, and as always,

Be Healthy,

Be Happy,

Be YOU!!

 

Much love,

Believing in Yourself

Believing in Yourself

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Your Mindset is Your Greatest Asset

 

When it comes to getting it done, or being challenged to push through something tough in life, how do you fair?

Do you struggle to feel accomplished?

Do you feel like you are drowning and there is no way out?

Or how about giving up because the going got tough?

 

 

If this sounds like something you have been through before, or are going through currently, then it may be time to check your mindset and your self-talk.

There is no denying that life will through you curveballs.

Back in 2013 as I was literally kicking butt in karate for my 2nd degree black belt, I would never have thought I would have hurt myself, gone through 10 surgeries, gained almost 60 extra pounds and then elect to amputate my leg above the knee.

Just writing that sounds absolutely crazy and a horrible fiction story. But that was my reality.

Those were tough days, months and years- five years to be exact, and making the decision to amputate wasn’t the end of that journey but a beginning to a whole new shift in my life. I still had to struggle with pain, swelling, adjusting to my new body image and learning to love it. I had problems with fitting prosthetics, I had a huge neuroma that a year after my amputation I went under the knife again and had it removed. Through all of these trials, however, I was being conditioned and building my resilience to my new lifestyle.

Each of these steps I had to figure my way through physically and mentally.

Each of these moments was leading me to a better understanding of myself, my tolerance, showing my strengths and my weaknesses, so I could become better at handling the curveballs of life.

What did I find that helped me?

 

 

 

MINDSET MATTERS!

What I tell myself, how I speak to myself with my inner voice (and sometimes my outer voice). I realized that my words and thinking  could lift me up and allow me to soar,  or it was going to be my demise with negativity. Through trial and error I learned and grew.

I take challenges head on now. I am competitive with myself, and I know that my mind, my energy, and my will to succeed has brought me through tough times. I believe how I think is what has made becoming an amputee a life giving second chance for me versus my undoing.

 

 

I am no one special, but my ability to see the positive in my situation has helped me become more successful as an amputee.

It hasn’t been easy, even though it may appear that way. What you perceive as me “easily” going through something really hard has had it’s challenges, it’s pains and problems, I have cried and I have been angry, but at the end of the day I choose positive!

 

How about you?

 

 

I didn’t add a Call to Action in my podcast, forgive me. Got out of practice with April being all interviews but here’s one for those reading my site.

 

Check your attitude today.

What’s your mood?

How do you feel about yourself and your situation?

Now ask yourself if you can control what’s happening?

If you cannot control what is happening to you then this is a great time to practice patience, positive self-talk, getting active to change your thinking, and setting some goals to keep yourself motivated during the hard days.

You will get through this.

You were designed to be stronger than your circumstances, you only need too believe in yourself.

You are special!

You are unique!

You are loved!

 

Have an amazing week, be blessed.

And as always,

Be Healthy,

Be Happy,

Be YOU!!

 

Much love,

 

 

Inventors & Innovators: Hugh Herr and Biomechatronics

Inventors & Innovators: Hugh Herr and Biomechatronics

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The New Age of Bionics

 

 

What happens to you when you find yourself in a do or die situation?

Hugh Herr was in that position as a teenager, barely making it out alive while doing something he loved and excelled at, a savant at his young age. But he didn’t make it out unscathed, he lost both of his legs below the knee.

What would you do? At that young age would you have given up, abandoned your dreams, or hid from life?

Would you believe that this situation inspired Hugh to become a creator, inventor and innovator in the prosthetic world?

He went from a kid set on rising to the top as a professional climber, to figuring out how to navigate life AND climbing again as a bilateral below knee amputee with prosthesis he created!

He changed his path to one of college and higher education. Getting his masters and doctorate degrees from Harvard and MIT, and is currently a professor at the MIT Media Lab and co-leads the Yang Center for Bionics at MIT.

He is known for creating bionic limbs that emulate the movement of natural limbs and has been called the “Leader of the Bionic Age” by Time Magazine.

He has TED talks, authored/co-authored over 200 peer-reviewed manuscripts and patents, and most recently Hugh and his research group invented the Agonist-Antagonist Myoneural Interface, which is a surgical procedure for limb amputation that allows the person with limb loss to control their synthetic limb with thought.

His research and studies are beyond amazing! The ideas and possibilities to come for those of us with limb loss from what he is inventing are going to be incredible and will make losing a limb less traumatic and more doable with the hope of what we will be capable of accomplishing with such high-tech and realistic bionics.

The age of bionics is growing by leaps and bounds and this past December 2023, I was blessed with the opportunity to work in the MIT Media Lab, meet Hugh, and participate in the current studies with several PhD students. I was blown away, to say the least, by what they are working on and what will be out on the market in the not too distant future. We are going to be seeing more stable, more controllable, and more comfortable fitting prosthesis which will give us our lives back and with more meaning.

 

So, yea, the first time I get to meet Hugh I look like this! Strapped in and ready to do research for the greater good!

 

This week, as we close Limb Loss/Limb Difference Awareness Month with my 4th and final interview with such an important innovator, as Hugh Herr, the pioneer of our bionic age, you do NOT want to miss what he shares about what is up and coming in the world of prosthesis and bionics.

Join me and Hugh Herr for this incredible interview!

Please share today’s podcast to bring hope and excitement for what’s to come to those in our amputee community.

Again, thank you, Hugh, for giving me the time to talk with you, pick your brain, and for your genius and creativity in helping us gain back our independence and ability to move smoothly despite our limb loss. I am truly inspired and excited for the future.

 

I hope you all enjoy today’s podcast and as always,

Be Healthy,

Be Happy,

Be YOU!!!

 

Much love,

 

John, Me and Tony-PhD students from MIT that were in charge of the study.

 

You can watch the NOVA production of Hugh Herr’s life: NOVA “Augmented” HERE

 

Inventors & Innovators: Surfing Brings Healing

Inventors & Innovators: Surfing Brings Healing

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Adaptive Surfing with Swell Surf Foot

 

 

The Ocean is healing.

The Mana (power) of the ocean has a way of grounding you and setting you free so you can soar. It’s an unbelievable feeling!

Just before my 1 year anniversary of my amputation I traveled to Kauai and tried my hand at surfing. I hadn’t been able to get in the ocean, or really any water, for over 5 years due to surgeries and my inability to maneuver because of my injury. I was excited, and nervous.

Once I learned the basics I found a rhythm to surfing, a rhythm to the ocean. I felt the energy it had, and I felt that energy surge through me.

I no longer felt nervous, I felt carefree and alive, and I felt that ANYTHING was possible!

Today I talk with Zach Samalonis, the co-creator/inventor of Swell Surf Foot. He and Yuhan Zhang started this endeavor for a college course. They talked with surfers in the amputee community to get the data they needed to create a prototype, then designed, created and then got a few of their original designs into the hands of amputees ready and willing to try it and give feedback. I was fortunate enough to be one of them.

 

This is my original surf leg and foot alongside the Swell Surf Foot prototype.

 

Today we discuss how this adaptive equipment came to life from thoughts and research to designing and creating.

What amazes me is that neither Zach or Yuhan are amputees, but they were charged with finding a problem that needed to be solved and a community that needed their help for their capstone project their senior year at Thomas Jefferson University. The Swell Surf Foot can help bring surfing to more amputees and also brings those people to the ocean for healing. This low cost, water-proof prosthetic was developed with an increased ankle mobility to allow for correct surfing mechanics. In a world where most adaptive surfers have repurposed and fashioned make-shift surf feet because there was nothing on the market, this was filling a need, and want, in our amputee community.

What a beautiful gift their innovation is for adaptive surfers around the world.

Their dedication solving a problem and filling a need is genuine.

In a world where big companies rule the market, it is awesome to see individuals creating and making their mark.

Listen in to hear Zach talk about their inspiration, production, and dreams for the future of their product.

Find them online, give them a follow, and reach out to them if you’d like to try their product in it’s next gen status when it comes out.

 

Thank you Zach for your time today and sharing your story.

I look forward to putting on your surf foot again soon and feeling the freedom and energy of the ocean. Thanks to you and Yuhan, I have found a foot that brings comfortability, grip, and steadiness to my surfing sessions.

 

The ocean is a place for healing and finding freedom.

The Swell Surf Foot is a step in the right direction to getting more amputees out, active, and giving them the peace they need to move forward.

 

Have a blessed week and make sure you subscribe and share so that you and the people you care about don’t miss the amazing people coming up next on this podcast; each making a difference in the lives of amputees everywhere with their creativity, ingenuity, and dedication!

Check them out on Instagram @surfwithswell

or at Zachsamdesigns.com

 

As always,

Be Healthy,

Be Happy,

Be YOU!!!

 

Much love,

 

 

 

Inventors & Innovators: TheraV for Phantom Pains

Inventors & Innovators: TheraV for Phantom Pains

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TheraV Founder and CEO Amira Radovic

We are kicking off Limb Loss/Limb Difference Awareness Month (LLLD) with the founder and CEO of TheraV.

Amira found her passion to help people by creating a non-invasive, non-pharmaceutical device that helps soften phantom pains through the use of vibration therapy.

Phantom pains are a very real, very painful, and often times disabling reaction after losing a limb. Most amputees will experience some level of phantom pain throughout the course of their lives. I would also say that all amputees feel some sort of phantom sensation (a feeling that the missing limb is still there and feels like pins and needles or a numbing sensation), I know I feel that everyday, all day, but I have become accustom to them.

Phantom pains, on the other hand, are intense. They come without warning, last days, sometimes weeks, and can feel like you are being shocked, set on fire, or like a knife stabbing your limb and cutting you open. I have had the distinct privilege (sarcastic voice) of experiencing those crazy, uncontrollable, and sleep depriving pains four times in my five years of being an amputee! I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy!

Amira’s father was a civil engineer and she had dreams of becoming an engineer, herself. She said she was always fascinated with the idea of using technology to enhance the human ability so she studied biomedical engineering at the University of Delaware. As a junior she had an opportunity to work at a prosthetic office. There she was introduced to the mental and physical pain that came with limb loss and the reality of phantom pain. She worked for years and talked to many amputees to come up with her TheraV for phantom pains, despite the lack of data and the stigma that surrounded phantom pains.

This week I had the honor of having her on my podcast to share where her idea came from, how it works, and where she’s taking it next. Like all great inventors, she is continuing to dive deeper into the mysterious world of phantom pains, what produces them, what helps, and how she can improve her already amazing product.

I am grateful for the time I got to speak with her and to hear her story, her passion, and what got her into the world of amputees and phantom pain.

An amazing thing about TheraV is that it can also be used by able-bodied individuals for things like restless leg syndrome or CRPS! Amazing, right?

If you are struggling with any of these issues, and would like to be rid of medications you might consider giving TheraV a shot.

Check out her website HERE.

 

With a world of big Pharma and large corporations it’s hard for the individual to break into the market. Please visit TheraV website, check them out on social media and give them a follow. By purchasing your own therapy for your home you not only have a safe way to manage pain you are helping Amira reach more people and giving them a chance to live without pain.

Thank you, Amira, for joining my podcast this week and for all you are doing for our amputee community.

Phantom pains are real pains.

Your research and devotion to reducing and eliminating them is so commendable! Thank you!

 

 

 

Remember to subscribe to my podcast so you don’t miss out on a month packed with inventors and innovators who are making a huge impact in our amputee community! also. p

lease share this link and podcast with someone who could benefit. My goal is always to help empower and educate those in need. Help me make an impact this month!

 

Thank you and have a blessed week.

As always,

Be Healthy,

Be Happy,

Be YOU!!!!

 

 

Much love,

 

 

 

 

Transparency

Transparency

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:11 — 29.1MB)

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The Truth About Being An Amputee

 

Not everyday is a picnic.

This is true for everyone around the world, but when you talk to amputees who lost their limb because of an accident, disease, war, or electively, the operation is just the beginning, not the finale.

Once we heal and begin to transition into a prosthetic- wearing person we are just then beginning to experience what amputee life is like.

I started this podcast, not because I wanted to hear myself speak (I hate hearing my own voice!), but because I wanted to be the voice of reality, and transparency for this community. I wanted to be real, no matter what that was going to look like.

The past 2 weeks have been very hard for me, emotionally, mentally, and physically. Even though I have enjoyed traveling with my family, skiing and walking the Vegas strip, my residual limb has been struggling to fit properly into my skin fit socket. When the fit isn’t right it swells and becomes hard and very sore. Then through the night it settles down a little but then the next day I try to put my prosthetic on only to have an ill fit again, making it worse throughout the day.

Mind you, I have had this socket for over a year and I haven’t experienced this, then after being at higher elevations, flying, skiing without it on, I find myself not fitting well.

There’s not much to do about it but hope that I “normalize” again, soon, before it gets any worse.

This is the life of an amputee.

Some of us look like it’s all roses, but were have our days and even weeks (and some struggle for months) but we can hide it well.

Transparency is important to me because so many amputees that I’ve talked to are so frustrated because the ones they see on social media are living life and doing so well (you know, only showing the best moments) and they are not. They, and maybe YOU are one of them, that can’t figure out how you will ever wear your prosthesis or walk in it. If you’ll ever be comfortable again or without pain.

It is not an easy journey, but you can succeed in this life.

You have to understand the reality of your new circumstance and what it entails, really, before you can just be running along in your prosthetic leg. it doesn’t happen over night. it takes practice, patience, and a lot of faith.

You will feel knocked down at times, but you must get up again and keep trying, keep pushing forward.

Don’t give up….

This too shall pass and you will find your way through the challenges and struggles.

 

 

I have a simple task and request for this week.

Next month, April, is Limb Loss/Limb Difference Awareness Month and I have a full month of interviews with AMAZING individuals who have spent time creating, inventing, and innovating designs and products to help our amputee community.

You really don’t want to miss out on an episode in April so my CTA is simple:

Subscribe to my podcast and my YouTube channel (BAWarrior360) so you don’t miss any of these special people and the work they are doing. Plus, please share my podcast with someone you care about who you think could benefit from some positivity and encouragement as they navigate amputation or even medical circumstances that they struggle with.

 

 

That’s it! Subscribe, Like, Share!

I hope to continue to grow my audience so I can help and motivate more and more people in the world.

Thank you, warriors, from the bottom of my heart!

Have a beautiful and blessed week until next time!

 

And as always,

‘Be Healthy,

Be Happy,

Be YOU!!

 

Much love,

 

Me and my girl ♥
Connect

Connect

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 30:25 — 32.0MB)

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How Connecting Helps Everyone

 

It can be so easy to get lost in our own world. We can be so focused on our problems and issues that we can feel isolated and alone in a crowded room.

The problem is, even when we aren’t really alone, we get lost in the darkness and can’t find our way out.

We forget that as humans we need connections to survive in the world. We need to be heard, seen, and touched throughout the day, even if we are introverted.

It is part of our DNA and makes us feel whole, loved, appreciated, and a part of something bigger.

 

 

We often get into a victim mentality or sink so low that we can’t find our way out of the problems and issues that we are facing that we can bring those around us down as well, and often see people leave us and don’t know why.

So what can be done to remedy this mindset?

CONNECT!!!

 

I find that when I take the microscope off of me; my life, my setbacks, and my issues and turn them into reaching out and helping others, I forget my problems and find peace, joy and happiness.

I find that making connections with others through texting, calling, video chatting or hanging out places my focus and attention on them which, in turn, gets reciprocated back to me and it becomes a win-win situation. We weren’t meant to go through life alone.

 

 

We all need to feel loved and heard, but sometimes we need to be the one who reaches out first.

When we value someone else’s life, we find our value.

As humans we are meant to live in community, not alone and isolated.

So if you are struggling now and feel alone, make a connection with someone. When you do, you will be able to step out of your darkness, become the light for someone else, and find you’re not alone after all.

Mind over matter, because mindset DOES matter.

 

This week I want you to connect with someone.

Find someone you know is having a rough time, like you. Or someone you haven’t talked with in a while.

Check in on them, and let them know you were thinking of them.

Maybe a neighbor could use a visit.

Or a relative needs to hear your voice over the phone.

Maybe a friend, who appears to have it all together, is struggling but won’t reach out (because they, too, feel alone).

Who ever you choose to connect with, be as close as you can, meaning if you can physically visit them and give them a hug, DO IT!

But if not be engaged in a conversation with them. Be an active listener, drop everything you are doing and be present. Give them all of you for that time you have together.

Everyone wants to feel valued, heard, and loved. That starts with YOU!

When you connect with someone, you will notice a shift in your own mindset and heart. You’ll get out of your own way and begin to see your life through a positive lense.

Life isn’t easy, that’s for sure, but remember, you are not the only one who is struggling right now.

Rise up and be that connection for someone and feel it reverberate back to you.

 

Get out and connect and have a blessed week!

And as always,

Be Healthy,

Be Happy,

Be YOU!!!

 

Much love,

 

 

 

 

 

 

Love Is In the Air

Love Is In the Air

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Self-Love for the Win

“Love yourself first and everything else falls into line.”

                                                                                                          -Lucille Ball

 

 

This Valentine’s Day start with YOU!!

To love oneself isn’t selfish, it’s necessary.

It’s necessary for your mental health.

It’s necessary for your productivity.

It’s necessary for you to be able to love others, fully.

Have you ever truly listened to your inner voice? Pay attention, because what you say to yourself is crucial to your love and success in life.

We can be so critical of ourselves and fall into the trap of negativity that we can’t even realize our true potential. We compare ourselves to others, and we begin to doubt our abilities, our size, our beauty, our intentions, our very existence.

We are constantly bombarded with everyone’s successes and filtered pictures, great vacations and good deeds in the snapshots of social media that we lose sight of our own beauty (inside and out) and our worth in this world.

You are unique!

There is only one ‘you’ and you should be celebrated.

You are worthy, beautiful, a warrior, and special.

You must first find, within yourself, the joy of self-love before you can truly find joy in life. However, this does not come easy and can change and challenge you daily.

Are you listening? What are you saying to yourself? Is your self-talk positive or are you speaking negatively?

As an amputee, and being a part of this unique community, I can see first-hand how I could be negative and self-loathing. The world tells me that my body image is suppose to look a certain way, and I no longer conform to what is “acceptable”. Talk about a hard, internal battle. I stand in a grocery line only to see a size 2 woman on the cover of every magazine, looking gorgeous and happy. I don’t look like them, and I never will again.

I must fight the urge to compare myself, and fight to be positive about who I am, inside and out. This takes practice, perseverance, and fearlessness.

This Valentine’s Day I challenge you to love yourself FIRST! Find joy in who you are, how you were made, and believe that you are enough, JUST the way you are.

Valentine’s Day, this year, start with you….for the win!

 

Wake up and feel the breathe in your lungs.

You have a purpose!

Today, and this week, figure out what your purpose is and start by loving yourself. Love the good you can do and the good you can put out into this world.

When you love yourself you will find that you can be a light, bringing happiness and hope to those who are lost.

Listen to your inner voice and decide if you hear positivity being spoken. If not, it’s time to switch that up.

Begin with telling yourself:

“I am beautiful/handsome”

“I am strong”

“I am worthy”

“I have value”

“I am smart”

“I am compassionate”

“I am funny”

“I am kind”

“I am fearless”

“I am a Warrior”

“I am ENOUGH!”

Write these words down. Speak these words out loud when you need to hear them.

Find your strength and self-worth from within and not from the world around you.

You ARE enough! Believe it, and begin this Valentine’s Day by loving yourself first and watch how your life changes for the better.

Rise up, Warrior, and know you are loved!

 

Until next week, and as always,

Be Healthy,

Be Happy,

Be YOU!!

 

Much love,

 

 

 

 

Insurance Games

Insurance Games

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 41:15 — 43.4MB)

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Playing To Win; Playing For Your Future

 

Dealing with insurance can be tricky and often frustrating. I speak from experience.

It’s unfortunate that insurance companies make it so hard to understand the ins and outs of their policies as well as getting approvals especially since those who are trying to get covered are often going through really tough emotional times.

As I got myself prepared for my amputation I was doing everything to prepare myself, mentally, emotionally, physically, and financially seeing as this would be a forever life changing surgery.

My experience was not smooth, nor was it kind, but I figured out how to handle my situation, found my voice, and fought for what was right and what I needed.

Join me this week as I take you on my journey with the games that insurance companies play, and how you can play and beat them at their own game.

 

This is what I fought to get……

 

So I can do this….

 

…And this

 

….And this

 

…And this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

What are you fighting for? And if you’re not fighting for what you want, then who will???

 

Randy and David at The Limb Center and also Limbs For Humanity

 

 

This week, if you are in the middle of a big decision that takes medical insurance, make sure you do your homework and get confirmation about what is covered.

If you have been told “No” by your insurance company then it’s time to fight for what you want and need.

We must fight for ourselves, because only we know exactly what we need and want to make our lives worth living.

Help yourself by fighting for your future. Don’t give up, and don’t take “No” for an answer!

You are a warrior and you are WORTH IT!!

 

Have a blessed week and as always,

Be Healthy,

Be Happy,

Be YOU!!!

 

Much love,

 

 

The First 3 Years

The First 3 Years

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Finding Hope after Amputation

 

No one really tells you what to expect after amputation, and quite frankly, even if they did, each journey is different.

The reality is that the first couple of years are filled with bumps, bruises, ups and downs. You will have highs and some of your lowest lows. There will be enormous changes, in your life, and in your body. And even when you finally get through the healing process, post-amputation, the challenges are just beginning. But with all that said, you can and will survive.

You spend A LOT of time in your prosthetist’s office the first 2 years

 

My very 1st prosthetic, one of many. Had no idea what was to come. All I knew was that I would be walking again!

 

Yet another socket!

 

Randy at The Limb Center in Phoenix, making my mold, for ( you guessed it) ANOTHER socket!

 

You will learn how your body adjusts, how it heals, what kind of strength (both physically and emotionally) you have, and you will build character…. oh boy, will you build character.

 

These are all the sockets (minus 3) that I have gone through, because of changes to my limb, in just 3 years!!!

 

The process is long and can be stressful if you don’t have patience. You will find yourself doing well one moment, only to feel like you’ve taken a step back in the blink of the eye. But don’t you give up! And don’t you worry. This is all part of the learning process and the changes you are going through, physically. Becoming an amputee and traversing the first 1-3 years is all about adaptability and change. If you can go into it knowing it is a process that could take that long, and that you will have positive moments of moving forward, riddled with backward steps, then you will be ready and able to handle what gets thrown at you.

You are a warrior, built for adversity.

Be strong.

Stay positive and active.

This is the to fight for what you want out of life.

We are in this journey together!

 

 

This week I want you to decide what it is that you really want out of your new life.

You will want to start building your own toolbox for those moments that become hard and emotionally draining.

I have so many hobbies, and things I do to pass the time, and to distract myself on the harder days, the days where phantom pains want to destroy me and my resolve.

What do you do when you get upset? Tired and frustrated? Or when you are hurting?

Most of us have a coping mechanism to help through those moments in life. This time is no different.

Be prepared to redirect your thoughts so you can get through and come out stronger on the other side.

Prepare yourself for battle; the internal battles that seek to bring chaos into y9ur life, making you doubt yourself and trying to destroy every dream you have. You are a WARRIOR! Believe it! You will succeed and be stronger for it.

Be prepared.

 

And as always,

Be Healthy,

Be Happy,

Be YOU!!

 

Much love,

 

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