inMotion Magazine

May | June 2018 44 On May 8, 2012, my life changed forever. I had always loved biking – it was something that had always kept me going. I wanted my daughter to experience the same love. I had just bought her a new bike and we were looking forward to going on a ride together. While bringing the bike home, it came loose on the rack, so I pulled over to fix it. While on the shoulder of the road, I was struck full-on from behind by a distracted driver. I remember the thud and lying on the ground with crushed legs, barely conscious, seeing blood and hearing the ambulances. Two days later, I woke up in the hospital. I thought I had died and was in heaven. I was not. I was alive and at North Broward Medical Center Intensive Care Unit. Over the course of five surgeries, 70 days in the hospital, and emotional and physical challenges, Dr. Peter Merkle and his team worked valiantly to save my life and my legs – well, at least my left leg. Due to many potential complications, I decided to have my right leg amputated below the knee, and a prosthetic leg was designed and created to fit me. I wanted to get on with my life. So I began my long road of physical and psychological recovery, and eventually found a new sense of perspective and purpose. After being at North Broward, I was transferred to West Palm Beach VAMC. It was then that my slow healing and recovery began. The months I spent there were a blur, with more surgeries, casts, pins and plates. Even when I lost my leg, I set a goal for myself and told myself that I WOULD get back on a bike. That goal was achieved on June 24, 2014, when I took my first bike ride. It was so exciting! Today, I bike an average of 10 miles and my total miles on a bike to date is 3,500 and still growing! A special prosthetic leg was designed to clip onto the pedal, which allows me to ride even more than before. Biking is the best therapy! by Larry Karlin and Ted Slowik Perspectives On a Bike, on a Missio