4 1/2 Months Update: Reaching another Milestone!

The last couple of weeks have been rather intense between full-time work and volunteering at the Orlando Wheelchair Games on my days off. However, this event marks an important milestone in this stage of my recovery: Emergency Management and volunteering at sports events (especially involving disabled athletes) have always been a huge passion of mine. I remember when after hurricane Harvey hit Texas last year, I got the phone call from the DEMPS coordinator to activate and deploy me to the disaster zone. I was so entirely torn that I said “yes” initially only to call back 10 minutes later to let them know that I was too disabled to go! I had trained a long time for events like this and put my heart and soul into this role, only to be too crippled with pain when the call for deployment came. I cried for the rest of the day in frustration and slipped deeper into despair and depression… So, with that being said, putting on my uniform and volunteering at the Wheelchair Games was a big deal to me!

One very moving moment during my airport tour-of-duty occurred when a female athlete wheeled up to me and asked, “weren’t you at the Invictus Games two years ago?” I replied that I was indeed on the medical team back then. She then said “Oh, I knew it was you! Thank you so much for being here, you just made my day!” She then hugged me and rolled off with her team to board the shuttle to the hotel. I must say, she made MY day!

Later that evening I met Perry Price, an Army veteran who lost one of his legs and is now a professional basketball player! When I told him that I am more a soccer-girl, he got out his basketball and made me play soccer, right the in the airport! Let me just say, I am not quitting my day job….

The remaining days I spent at the convention center to volunteer for the clinic and the opening ceremony. What a great event!

So, what else was I up to during the last couple of weeks? Well, I got to bike in the Seminole State Forest! Due to the rain, there also was some mud involved, and the heat was rather intense. However, it was a beautiful outing and as taxing as it was to pedal up the hills, the effort was rewarded with fast downhill sprints, which are so much fun! I hope to start exploring more single-track trails that offer a more diverse terrain. Ok, I am not planning to do highly technical rides but a bit of speed and jumps should be ok…

Did I mention how muddy some of the trails were…?

This little clip captured the victory of climbing a hill that I had not been able to pedal up on a previous occasion prior to the surgery. I remember dismounting and crying in frustration the last time I was there, so to conquer this trail segment was a huge victory to me! Aaaand I got to race down the hill on the other side, whoohoo!😊

Last but not least, I also had my 2-hour mock-deployment training (virtual reality) for DEMPS (Disaster Emergency Medical Personnel), which means that I am reinstated and ready to deploy if disaster strikes (hopefully not, but if it does, I am ready). Getting my life back together, one piece at a time!