Hello Everyone, I have been having alot of trouble getting a leg to fit right and stay on. I had to have a revision a year ago and the doctor took some of my length off. I also have alot of skin graphs and deep scaring. The question I have is are there any others here who are having the same trouble? What system do you use to keep your leg on.

Thank you to all who have been praying for Emily. She had the operation to remove the tumor and is doing very well. The doctors said it was not cancer and they expect a full recovery. Once again thank you all 

Dave 

Hey everyone, I hope you are all doing well. I have to ask you for a prayer. Emily is 3 years old and has just been diagnosed with having a very large tumor on her kidney and her grandfather is a very close friend of mine. If you could just take a minute today and think and pray for Emily and Gary. She will be going in for surgery on tuesday.

Thank you all

Dave

As most of you know the past few monthes have been pretty tough for me having to be cut open 7 times in 2 monthes. With all the time I have had I took the opportunity to reflect on my life and what gets me through the hard times and fuels the fire to resume "normal" life.

I guess for me it started when I was 5yrs old, being dropped off at an orphanage in Philadelphia and forgot about.Thats where I think my stubborn, hardheaded attitude comes from. For what ever reason that will give you a bit of a chip on your shoulder lol. Then after having 2 boys of my own it just pissed me off even more and left me with alot of unanswered questions. How could someone just give up on there kid like that. I can't imagine my life without my 2 sons. I guess thats what fuels the fire in me.

Along with that I have had alot of incredible people in my life who have showed me what really matters and where my priorities need to be. Having been off work for the last 3 monthes means no paycheck, you would think. Thats not the case for us because the guys and girls that I work with are an incredible bunch of people. They have been paying my house payments and all my other bills and even to go out for dinner. They took it upon themselves to setup a dedicated bank account were they all have money directly taken out of their checks and put into mine. All this for me and my family. Now thats making a difference in someones life.

I got more christmas cards this year than ever in my life. I can't explain the joy that gave me just knowing someone thought enough of me to send me that card and the one thing they all had in common was these few words. "You are an inspiration to me" Just about everyday that I have been off work I have had somebody stop in to check on me or call to see if we needed anything. And they all say the same thing "You inspire me" They also say to take my time and make sure I am healed up and they cant wait till I get back to work. And they all know I am gonna make it back to work.

And thats where the other part of the question is answered ,about what keeps us going in times of adversity. For me I think its a fear of letting anyone down. I am scared to disappoint my friends and family,that is my biggest fear. FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION with that many people believing in me, how could I ever give up. They look at what I have already done and say "you inspire them.

So when times get tough and you feel like you cant keep going remember people are watching you and you are making a difference in other peoples lives, just by living your life.

Remember we are speacial people to be able to keep going after all we have been through. I encourage all of you to go and be an inspiration to someone just by being you and doing what you do.

Take care and stay positive

Dave   

There are alot of reasons why I feel lucky. Sometimes we dont totally understand why things happen to us and you always hear about "bad things happen to good people". I dont really believe that. Im not sure why this happened to me and I dont have time to waste trying to figure it out. Having my wonderfull wife and kids keeps me pretty busy. I got a call from my uncle, there was going to be a poker run on motorcycles to raise money for a local area 6yr old girl who was suffering from a disease that would eventually take her life. Sounded like a great idea to me. Saturday morning about 400 bikes showed up and around 12:00 we headed out, as we headed out of town the police had the roads blocked for us and over the mountain we went. As I was riding I felt kinda weird, not sick or anything, just weird. I thought to my self if this feeling dont go away soon i'm going to head back home. We got to the top of the mountain and I felt fine, So I kept on going. As we started down around this long sweeping turn at about 45mph, everything went black it was just like someone turned the lights out, then it was like they had turned the light back on just before i hit the guidrail. My left leg was caught between the bike and the guidrail. Ifelt my femur brake I went flying through the air and landed on my feet and a guidrail post. I knew i was in really bad shape. I tried to get myself off of the rail and post but when i put weight on my leg it just hurt to bad. By that point there were people there and i told them my leg was broke and I needed help, they helped me over the rail and layed me on the road. Thats when I realized how bad i was, I couldn't breath and i tasted blood in my mouth. They life flighted me to the trauma hospital, When they loaded me in the helicopter I was really praying. I close my eyes and thought it was all over. After a week on life support and multiple surgeries I woke up. My leg was broke in 13 places all my ribs broke puctured lungs, bleeding spleen,broken back and broken pelvic and about 70 stitches and 2500 staples trough out my legs neck and hips BUT I was alive. The doctors were surprise because they gave me a 20% chance. I had to stay in the ICU for three weeks and they moved me. I also had 7 operations before i left there. The doctors told my wife if i lived i wouldn't leave the hospital for atleast 5 or 6 months. I was only there 2 months and went home. I know that I wouldn't be where i am today if i didnt have the friends and family I have. My two sons are my greatest motivation, They give me the strength to fight through the pain. My wife has been to hell and back with me but shes never complained about changing bandages or dressings for me. She is a saint. After 4 months i got my first prosthesis (C-LEG) and went back to work. Life has changed alot and every day is a challenge. I am a heavy equipment operator for the Penn. Dept. of transportation, It has taken alot of time to relearn how to do things i've done all my life. I work with a lot of great people and feel very fortunite to have them. There are alot more reasons I should be dead than alive, I have been given a second chance and I am going to make the best of it. What I hope to gain from this site is friendship and meet people who I have something in common with. And maybe I can help someone get through a tough situation that I've already been through.