This morning I ran my 6th consecutive Pat's Run which honors one of my heros Pat Tillman who lost his life as an army ranger after giving up a professional football career to serve his country. It is 4.2 miles and ends at the 42 yard line at ASU stadium -- 42 being his jersey number while playing for ASU. As usual the first 3 miles were fairly easy but during the last mile, again, I started thinking, "What would Rosie Ruiz do"?
I have joined a golf club and golf at least 3 times per week. Again, I want to thank my friends at PING. Without them, my golfing dreams would not have cleared the water hazard. Also, I have made the semi-finals of the AMF annual tournament which includes all the Arizona state finalists. Wish me luck. I was the guest of Ping on Sunday to the Phoenix Open. What a beautiful, sunny, 70 degree day. I stayed until the last putt by VJ Singh at the 18th green. Standing next to me were a woman and small child (unrelated). They both had serious health issues and we instantly bonded. Don't get me wrong, I would love to have my hands and feet BUT I don't want to give up the wonderful people (like them) I have met since. I am truly a lucky man and I love my life. Have you opened your email account and were irritated by all the "junk"? Well I can't tell how ashamed I am for my first impression. I had no idea how many people just CARE period. Tears came to my eyes as I opened letter after letter form current and old friends -- Some I had to look up because I didn't even remember them. Thank you all. Today we were at Ping again with Channel 3 News (ABC). They are doing a story on me to kick off the Phoenix Open. It will probably air on Feb. 3. Tomorrow morning, Carol and I will be meeting a new quadruple amputee for breakfast. She is from Nevada and had read about me in the paper a few weeks ago. Her story and mine are so similar it is scary. We are very excited to meet her. Stay tuned, Lumber Legs I spent Christmas with my daughter and her fiancee in Vegas. I rode the ZIP LINE in old downtown underneath the arched light show ceiling. It started at 6 stories high and involved a 900 foot ride down a cable to almost ground level. They tethered me in and attached pullies to the cable as four of us zipped down parallel cables. It was very exciting. What bothered me was all the screaming and lack of bowel control. Fortunately, the people below me were very forgiving. Happy New year. I think by now, everyone has heard what PING golf has done for me out of the kindness of their hearts. Since the artcle came out, I have received hundreds of e-mails and most of them end with, "I am buying my next set of clubs from PING". It just goes to show anyone, when you do a kind act with nothing expected in return, you are likely to be rewarded. This morning, journalists from both the Arizona Republic (news paper) and channel 12 (television) took Carol and me out to breakfast followed by an interview and demonstration of my new PING golf equipment. Both should be out around Dec. 8. I want to thank PING for everything they have done to get me back on the links again. The compassion of the human heart is amazing and I will always be loyal to PING for everything they have done and the time and effort made to make life better for people with special needs. Yesterday I golfed 18 holes with my new snap on clubs. Everything went fine until the 12th hole. After I made contact with the ball, the shaft of my driver slipped out of its attachment and helicoptered down the fairway. I didn't know whether to shout "FORE" or "INCOMING". I apologized to the beer girl for having impaled her and still bogeyed the hole. Lumber Legs I am not allowed to advertise for companies or individuals when I am given the honor of telling my story, however, I always take the opportunity to say what certain companies have done for me. I called several golf equipment manufacturers about what they could do for a quadruple amputee. Only one, PING, took on the challenge. PING and Stanford University developed a set of "snap on" golf clubs that allows me once again to play golf on a beautiful day, on a beautifully manicured course and, like my partners, openly take the Lord's name in vain as my ball sinks in to the pond. Thank you PING! Lumber Legs | AuthorI am a quadruple amputee with a sense of humor and a passion for life. I like to tell stories. ArchivesApril 2012 Categories |
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