The next chapter is about to unfold in this amputee’s story

I have taken on a new personal challenge to regain my physical abilities.

 Before I do that, you need to know a little of my history.

 It was January in the year 2000, as usual for this time of year, snow lies on rooftops.

A particularly harsh storm had just passed through Connecticut, this storm damaged a data satellite receiver.

I was called upon to make repairs to this data satellite, as I was the person who installed it. (In better weather of course) .

When I arrived on the job site, I observed that there was snow and ice on this roof, however the peak of the roof appeared to be dry and workable, this is where the data satellite was located.

Upon venturing upon this treacherous pitched roof, avoiding the ice and snow

I made way to the data satellite. “Tools and parts in hand”, after a period of time in testing I had in fact been successful in my repair.

I signaled to my son on the ground who was working with me that momentous day, all was well and I was coming down, I gathered all of the equipment together…

And then it happened!

The next thing I knew I was on the ground trying to stand up on two broken legs, you see I had just fallen 40 feet to the ground, as you can imagine that did not work very well.

Lying back down on the snow it was apparent that I was in trouble, I could not stand up…

My son looked at me with horror in his eyes, and people started to gather comforting me and warming me as we awaited the arrival of the ambulance,  (more on this in later chapters.)

This is how I became an above-the-knee amputee, my left leg was now a stump and the lower part of my limb was no more.

In learning to be a successful above-the-knee amputee, I was not one of the shining stars,

In fact I almost gave up, for seven years I whined and tried to walk. In the eighth year however, I decided to walk, how did I come to this decision? “Mindset”, (again more on this in later chapters).

Over the course of the last three years, I started to learn to walk again. Just as a child learns to walk, so must an amputee. It is an excruciatingly painful ordeal, one that must be endured in order to survive.

Survive?  “Why did I use the term survive?”, because life in a wheelchair is a death sentence. Once in a wheelchair the average life expectancy is less than 10 years, (more on this later).

Here we are in November of 2011, I have achieved success as an above-the-knee amputee, my activity level as told to me is that of a K4, that is the highest activity level that they, the professional community, has.

November also happens to mark my one year anniversary of returning to the gym.

You see, I work out daily for about an hour and a half in a normal gym with regular people utilizing regular exercise machinery, nothing special, just the normal gym.

How normal is it for an above-the-knee amputee to be working out at a normal gym “not at all”.

Here is the next chapter in my return to normality, but before we get into that…

I want to illustrate the power of the law of attraction, the law of attraction states that, whatever the mind can conceive and believe, the body will achieve.

Hence the phrase is “Be Careful what you wish for”, I first put all my power and thought into walking, the universe found a way to answer my prayers.

What is the next chapter? I want to run, foot over foot, as a normal person would, this has been my foremost thought for months now.

On my latest trip to the VA Medical Center, an appointment scheduled to review my newest prosthetic leg which I’ve been wearing for about three months.

“I am so thankful to the VA medical community for providing me the latest and greatest that technology has to offer as well as the skilled hands of the craftsman who make my socket”

They were pleased with my progress as I now walk as a normal person.

They asked is there anything else that we can do for you? I replied yes!

• I want to run, this set off a flurry of questions, basically qualifying me. “I guess I passed, because they approved me”

Yes that is correct! This panel of professionals at the VA Medical Center approved this 59-year-old to have custom-made and fitted, a new leg which has the sole purpose of running.

So that brings me here, I have not run and 12 years, they asked me how I intend to learn to run I said with your help, that is when I was introduced to the man that runs physical therapy, His reply?

Get ready to learn the run, so there we go… “Oh my God what I got myself into” Starting all over again as a child now learning to run.

You can well imagine the saying be careful what you wish for, because the law of attraction will answer your prayers, now my prayers of my body to respond in kind and be gentle to me, as I move forward to my new quest to achieve the endurance and power of a runner, which finally should bring my weight down to my goal of 160 pounds.

For as you see in the year 2004 I was 290 pounds, I worked myself down to 210 and was stuck there for six months, I have now gained 10 pounds back so I’m at 220.

My motivation is high my anxiety is high, my excitement level is through the roof! For now I am asking for the law of attraction and my mindset at age 59 as an above-the-knee amputee, to return to normality at 160 pounds, my excitement level is that of a teenager.

 

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Time Line of Robert bob Chappell

Look for much more writings from me, where I will fill in the missing blanks above and write the story of what it takes no matter what gets in your way to just say okay, that happened, what’s next and how do I get there.

 

Sincerely Bob Chappell

bob@chappells.com

Home Based Company, LLC