wheelchair – Be-YOU-tiful Adaptive Warrior

Traveling Amputee

By bawarrior | August 21, 2024

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 31:27 — 34.3MB)

Risks and Rewards, Tips and Tricks

Traveled to the “Happiest Place on Earth” as an amputee

Traveling is exhausting for anyone. Spending a day in an amusement park can take the most energetic person and turn them into a melt down of epic proportions. Add in the heat and humidity of a Florida summer AND thousands of people and it becomes an challenge that the ordinary person struggles to finish.

Now add in someone missing a leg, dealing with sweating in a prosthesis that wants to shift on you and chafe your leg, sprinkle in the dodging of people who only seem to be concerned with their own schedule, and lines that you stand in, totaling hours, throughout the day and you have one of the biggest opportunities to rise to the occasion and show what you’re made of.

The amount of people is amazing!

Traveling is fun.

The Jungle Cruise during the final show at Disney World

Tron ride was EPIC , and probably to the only ride that me fitting into was questionable, but absolutely doable for even me, an above knee amputee.

Traveling is challenging.

Overall, I decided to amputate so I could GET BACK to the life I was living before my knee injury, and that is exactly why I go thru all of those obstacles and challenges.

I WANT TO LIVE!!! Fully and completely.

Golfing is fun but challenging….I love a challenge!

Enjoying the rides, like Pirates, with my family!

That was an amazing day! Almost 11 miles and one exhausted momma! But look at that view (and ALL THOSE PEOPLE)!

What kind of life do you want?

What can you handle?

I have experienced moving around on trips and amusement parks as an able-bodied person, and injured momma in a wheelchair, and as an amputee. This week I give you some ideas of what to expect, what to pack, and how to deal with the ins and outs of highly populated places such as Disney World and Universal.

Get ready to pack your bags and begin your journey!

Enjoy the journey. Be present. Live your life!

You can travel, too, just be prepared (oh, and make sure you stretch!).

You may be an amputee but you can still enjoy taking trips.

This may seem irrelevant to the topic of travel but I assure you it is very relevant: STRETCH!

Make stretching a part of your day, everyday!

I didn’t and my back was screaming at me the day after our 1st park. The way I had to walk, in the heat, around all those people, looking out for myself, and my safety, made my body move in non-natural ways that over the miles and hours of being on my feet really exhausted my back and hips. I had 2 days and nights of phantom pains and back pains and all I could do was push through it and continue with our plans, trying to ignore the pain. On one of the final nights back in our resort I decided to sit on the ground and give my good leg a nice stretch only to realize how very tight I was.

Don’t wait til you have issues like I did. I am now starting to stretch every morning and evening to help my flexibility and my mobility.

Your Call to Action this week is to do the same.

Implement a stretching routine for yourself so you keep flexible. Even 5 minutes a day is better than nothing, so get started, TODAY!!

Also, listen into my IG Live chat Un(Limb)ited Conversation this week as Jackie, DPT and I discuss stretches for post-amputation mobility. You can find it on Instagram @BAWarrior360. Every other Wednesday at 4:00 pm MST I hope you join us!

OK, Warriors, rise up, and get traveling!

Life is a journey, not a destination.

Have a beautiful week

and as always,

Be Healthy,

Be Happy,

Be YOU!!!

Much love,

Not all who wander are lost.

What’s Your Story with Christy Gardner

By bawarrior | May 11, 2022

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:02:12 — 46.6MB)

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US Army Veteran, USA Sled Hockey Teammate, Therapy Dog Trainer, Special Olympics Coach, Bilateral Below Knee Amputee

Christy does it all! She is amazing, inspiring, and constantly pushing her limits to see what is possible!

As I wrap up my interviews for Limb Loss/Limb Difference Awareness month (April), I have to say I am renewed, Inspired, and ready to take on the world!

Christy was planning on serving our country for the maximum number of years, until one fateful day she was hit by a local strike in an undisclosed area she was serving as a MP Sergeant. She ended up with a traumatic brain injury (TBI), and spinal cord damage which ultimately led to her double amputation. She was distraught and had been told that she would never talk or walk again and would never be able to live on her own.

What saved her? How did she go from that “diagnoses” to becoming an alternate to the US Paralympic Track and Field team, a member of the women’s US Sled Hockey team, therapy/service dog trainer, and living alone? Well, you need to listen in to hear her tell her story. Hear how a friend at the VA kept inviting her to come see what sports were available, how a dog named Moxie changed her life forever for the best, and how her unrelenting desire to be better and achieve the impossible, made everything possible once again!

Don’t miss this episode and an opportunity to find your own strength in Christy’s story.

Thank you, Christy, for spending time with me and blessing us with your story of hardship and triumph, and how you were able to overcome such large obstacles. You are a true warrior and such an inspiration! Best wishes in all you do.

Competition is such a powerful motivator for Christy…

But then again, so was Moxie!🐾

Make sure you watch the YouTube episode of my interview with Christy, as well! You can find my YouTube channel by search BAWarrior360

And as always: