ALABAMA: Members of Amputees Across America share hope, encouragement

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http://www2.dothaneagle.com/news/2011/jul/14/members-amputees-across-america-share-hope-encoura-ar-2111033/Members of Amputees Across America share hope, encouragement


Credit: ELAINE BRACKIN/PROGRESS
Abel Cruz, who lost his left leg as a result of a motorcycle accident, took a moment to share words of encouragement with Denise Dozier Friday morning. Cruz and other members of Amputees Across America, who are pedaling bicycles from California to Vero Beach, Fla., made a stop at HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital in Dothan July 8 to visit with patients undergoing treatment.
By Elaine Brackin Published:  DOTHAN, Ala. -- Four men. Four stories. One goal.
Four members of Amputees Across America wheeled their bicycles into the parking lot of HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital Friday morning. It was one of many stops they have and will make along their journey from California to Vero Beach, Fla. Their mission? To bring hope and encouragement to patients at the hospital who are working to return to productive lives following catastrophic illnesses or accidents.
Abel Cruz, 59, lost his left leg in a freakish way. En route from his home in Albuquerque to visit former Navy friends in Mississippi, Cruz was involved in an accident. A tire from an 18-wheeler that was being towed broke free and bounced across the median. With no time to react, Cruz was struck by the wheel. The blow sent Cruz and his motorcycle into an extended slide down I-20. He was first transported to a hospital in Monroe, La. He was later transferred to the LSU Medical Center in Shreveport.
Cruz awoke in the hospital three weeks later. He was missing the lower portion of his left leg. That was six years ago. The memory is just as vivid today.
“I just happened to look up to see the wheel bouncing across the highway,” Cruz said as he recalled that fateful day that occurred shortly before Hurricane Katrina hit the Louisiana coastline. “A vehicle had blocked my view initially. I remember thinking the wheel would bounce over me. I remember falling over. I had my full-face helmet on, which was a good thing, since my head hit first. I slid 90 feet with my bike and another 20 feet on the shoulder (without his bike). I was so amazed at how many people stopped to help.”
Three weeks later, Cruz came face to face with his future.
“I woke and was an amputee,” Cruz said. “I didn’t have to make that decision.”
Nor was he shocked. An EMT at the scene of the accident had told him he didn’t think his leg could be saved. Cruz says that helped him prepare, mentally, for what he would see when he awakened.
“A lot of the grieving process that people go through, I skipped,” Cruz said. “I couldn’t afford to be mad with the truck driver or with the world at that point.”
It also helped that, while he was rehabilitating in a HealthSouth facility in his hometown of Albuquerque, a team from Amputees Across America was on tour and made a stop at the hospital.
“They gave me hope,” Cruz said. “Because of that, I’ve done what I can do to help others.”
He says the members of Amputees Across America do not consider themselves heroes, despite the fact they pedal more than 3,000 miles annually to bring their special brand of hope and encouragement to others.
“We’re ordinary people doing ordinary things,” Cruz said. “If you get the right motivation, you can learn to do things differently. But, I can still do it.”
Mississippi native Jeff Martin, 52, remembers the date well. On April 14, 2010, the battle to save his left foot from a bone infection ended. He lost his leg to amputation. But he didn’t lose his will to live a meaningful life. A professional trainer by trade, Martin drew upon his ability to motivate others to push himself to overcome the loss of his leg.
Six weeks after receiving his prosthesis, Martin competed in a triathlon. He had been encouraged to take up the sport by his prosthetist, a Marine Corps amputee who was preparing for a triathlon. With that challenge met, Martin contacted Joe Sapere, founder of Amputees Across America, about the possibility of riding with the team. He sees it as an opportunity to lift the spirits of others facing traumatic situations.
“For the patients (the team visits), I tell them they were doing something before they got sick or had an accident,” Martin said. “It’s important that they set a goal and then do it. Overcoming their obstacles is a lot mental.”
Family members and friends, Martin says, play an important role in helping amputees overcome their loss.
“My family let me do my own thing,” Martin said. “I spent four or five weeks in a wheelchair. I did everything I would have done before. It’s important that family members ask before they step in to help. It’s better if the person learns to do things on their own. Giving encouragement is a big thing. When the loved one is going through a tough time, it’s important for family and friends to give words of encouragement. It’s tough to go through what the amputee is going through.”
Boston Bill Hansbury lost his right leg to MRSA, a staph infection, on his 70th birthday, Oct. 2, 2007.
“I don’t know when I contracted it,” said the Boston native and St. Petersburg, Fla., resident. “I went to Boston for work and to visit family. I developed an infection.”
Despite his doctor’s best efforts, Hansbury’s leg had to be amputated to arrest the infection.
“After the amputation, I felt a tremendous amount of sadness, like I had lost a friend,” Hansbury said. “It had taken me places. I had been a runner for 44 years. I felt sadness, not anger. I reached for the phone that morning (after the surgery). I had a friend that pedaled with his hands. He had lost the use of his legs. I asked him to get me a bike like his. That gave me something to look forward to.”
His initial ride did wonders for him.
“I felt like I was coming back,” Hansbury said. “Then, I got my prosthesis; I started to learn to walk.”
He followed that with getting a regular bike. After several attempts, Hansbury was back riding. He would now use his story to help others.
“If you are looking to make a comeback, you can do it,” Hansbury said. “HealthSouth – this is the way back. This is the road map.”
To assist those who can not afford prosthetic devices, Hansbury has created the Boston Bill Foundation. For more information about the non-profit foundation, visit www.bostonbill.org.
While serving in the Navy, Ohio native Doc Milligan was injured in an explosion aboard his ship in 1968. He didn’t lose his leg at that time. But, for the next 30 years Milligan endured tremendous pain.
“For 10 years, I walked with crutches,” Milligan said.
Over time, Milligan says his leg developed cancer and gangrene. During a visit with his son in Ohio, Milligan decided the pain was more than he wanted to endure. He cut his visit short to drive home to Florida to see his personal physician.
“The fact that my leg was cut off was not a shock,” Milligan said as he spoke to patients taking a break from their therapy session at HealthSouth. “A week later, they cut a little more off. Four weeks in a row a little more was cut off until they got in front of the infection.”
Milligan’s rehabilitation was done through the VA System. He returned to his active life and joined Amputees Across America. And, he carries a message to those facing challenges.
“No matter what your illness, you have to learn to accept it,” Milligan said. “Don’t blame anybody. That’s not going to help. If I didn’t get up and walk, they were going to put me in a home. I’m too cute for that.”
And too motivated.
“It doesn’t matter how far you can do something,” Milligan said. “Just do something.”
For more information about Amputees Across America, visit www.amputeesacrossamerica.com.