Challenged Athletes Triathlon 2012

I keep calling it the Challenged Athletes Triathlon, but technically it’s called the San Diego Triathlon Challenge. There were plenty of “able bodied” folks competing right along side the many “challenged athletes.” We spent the day down at La Jolla Cove where all the action was taking place. There were so many vendors. Lots to see and do. We met so many amazing people. The vibe was just incredible.

My favorite new friend we met was a dude who reminded me so much of Nick it was scary. He’s a bilateral below knee amputee from a freak accident involving an 80 fall. Like Nick he wasn’t just an amputee. Instead of a spinal cord injury, he suffered a traumatic brain injury and lost sight in one eye. He was so open and friendly with us and had a personality that made us feel at home. He was handsome, and when I stood back I thought the two of them could easily be brothers. We spent a lot of time talking prosthetics, duh, and Nick and I got some great info from him. His legs fit him perfectly and you could really tell by the way he stood and walked so naturally, further inspiration to get Nick into a different prostheses system.

Not only was the actual triathlon taking place all day, there was a separate 5K race, a special kids run, and a huge stage with a couple hundred spin bikes and hand cycles set up for a FOUR HOUR ride!

Four hours of spin!

Nick took this valuable opportunity to meet and pick the brains of the myriad prosthetic vendors at the event. Everybody was eager to share their knowledge and opinions with Nick to assist him in making the best decisions possible in the near future when he changes up his legs again.

Nick discussing feet at the Ossur tent. Nick currently has feet made by Ossur.

I’m not sure what’s going on here, but it appears that Nick is caressing a prosthetic hand.

 

We also ran into a friend.

Nick with Shelby and cutie pie Pickles

After about two hours, Nick desperately needed to lay down, and wanted to get out of the crowds. So we made our way to a grassy area on the far side of the action and relaxed for a bit. There was a very interesting fellow there playing with the pigeons. He trained them to fly circles and land on his fingers. He gave us some sunflower seeds and showed us how. I was surprised by their weight and the warmth of their feet. Very cool experience!

Nick playing with pigeons. Not a single bird shit on us either. Score!

And we also got to play with my beautiful cousin Kim, her rockstar hubster Chris, and their adorable kids. Hanging with them made my day.

All smiles, even though it started raining.

 

Getting fitted with legs

This is his Prosthetist, Phil. Phil is the shit! Apparently he is THE guy to go to for prosthetics. He trains many of the other prosthetists in Southern California, and he is the premier choice for other prosthetists who are amputees themselves. We learned yesterday that he works with the world champion surfer girl who lost her arm; the one they made a movie about. He makes her arm. He also made an arm for the Def Leopard dude.

We love Phil. He spends quality time evaluating and getting to know you. He is thorough and helpful and very personable. We have never felt rushed by him. He always makes sure all of our questions are answered, and if possible, that we can see and feel examples of what he is talking about. The only down side of all this amazing customer service is that he is always running late. Both times we have seen him we waited forty five minutes past our appointment time to see him, as did the patient scheduled after us. But unlike most doctors and dentist offices, we feel the trade off is worth it because of his attentiveness to us when we are in there with him and his dedication to our satisfaction. It really is quite unique.

So, the good news is that the initial clear test socket will be ready in a week and a half. We will go back then and Nick will stand up for the first time. While he is standing and hopefully walking within the parallel bars, Phil will be assessing the fit of the socket. And since this first one is clear, he can get a good view of any unnecessary pressure points and do away with them on the final carbon fiber molding. After this test run, it will be about three or four more days until his real legs are ready to pick up, take home and use. That’s when the real rehab will begin.