Leg-a-versary!

Today, March 19th, is my Leg-a-versary.

It's hard to believe it's only been one year since I received this leg. I still can't believe it took so long to get one but at least I can proudly say I put it to the test once I did. Here's a few photos from my leg's first year:

Meeting Meyrick

I was having a busy day today renewing my Canadian license, taking care of a passport issue, gorging myself on Sugar Crisp cereal and guzzling A&W Root Beer (small comforts of home) when the thought dawned on me that I should swing by the fantastic new Innovative Fitness location in Port Moody to meet Meyrick Jones face to face!

For those who are just joining us, Meyrick has been an inspiration to my whole family ever since my Dad met him at a road race, two days before my last operation. At the time, he graciously offered to help me "get my feet under me" again. It took some time before I felt ready to contact him (several weeks after the surgery) but once I did, I found him to be chock full of information and support.

In a classic "it's a small world" act, some friends back in Victoria, Shannon and Cliff, sent out a DVD of Meyrick's interviews with Cliff's brother who is doing his prosthetics apprenticeship, not knowing that I was already in touch with him. It was a welcome gift as the video clips weren't posted to YouTube for some time after that.

Meyrick and I have continued to stay in touch and I really respect his opinions on life, my recovery and fitness in general. I posted an article on swimming that he and I collaborated on when I was still on crutches and trying to find some cardiovascular activity.

Meeting Meyrick in person confirmed something that I always knew: he is a truly genuine, nice guy!

As short as it was, it was absolutely awesome to finally meet, shake his hand and check out his new gym in person. The facility exudes Meyrick's own passion for elite sport and fitness.

Next time I'm on the continent, I'll definitely take some time out to plan a horrendously long hike with him so I can pick his brain a lot more! Thanks for everything Meyrick.

*note: this post has been back-dated to the intended post date due to a technical issue encountered on initial attempt.

Lovin' Las Vegas!

I'm travelling again for work, this time doing a limited "tour" of North America.

Is there any better way of getting over your jet lag than stopping off in Las Vegas for a few sleepless nights of fun? I think NOT!

Since my itinerary doesn't include a stop-off in Ontario and only includes a limited amount of time in Vancouver, my Dad and Sister came along with their partners and my Uncle & Aunt!



New York, New York


Caesars Palace


Paris


The Venetian


The Bellagio


The Luxor


The winning smile!

True Story

I had an Orthopaedic review with the surgeon today to assess my "level of impairment". I was shocked to learn they weren't testing my blood-alcohol level for a "high score" -- awkward!

Instead, the surgeon concluded that my leg is indeed not growing back. I know, it surprised me too, however, he required an x-ray to confirm this little "hypothesis".

I went up to the ex-ray room and found a very surprised looking x-ray tech who managed to stammer "OH! I've never done one of YOU before!"

One of ME? Ohhh kaaay! I think at this point I said something like "Well, I AM pretty unique, thanks for noticing!" though I don't think she heard me as she flustered around clearing the x-ray table.

From there the conversation went something like this:

Tech: Sooo umm... is that like ATTACHED? Or does it come off?

Mike (staring incredulously): It comes off...

Tech: OH. So do you usually keep it on for x-rays?

Mike (laughing nervously): No, I don't think the metal or carbon fibre would photograph well and I'm pretty sure you're only interested in what's underneath it!

Tech: Yeah, that makes sense! Do you know what position to hold your... LEG? for the picture?

Mike: No I don't, sorry... maybe just shoot it like you would a normal leg?

Tech: OK, yeah! That makes sense!

I left that day feeling that we had both learned something: she learned that prosthetic limbs are NOT permanently fixed to the human body through painful bolts or magic glue.

I learned that common sense and higher reasoning is not a pre-requisite of getting into x-ray school!

Technical difficulties

It's been a quiet month (march) for publishing posts but believe it or not, I have been writing them. I've been on the road for work and have been using an app on my phone. Unfortunately, when it came time to publish them, my settings had been erased.

I've been horribly lazy about fixing that. That said, I have indeed fixed it and set several posts to automatically publish over the next few days, back-dated to the day of the month they were written on. I've also back-dated this post to ensure the newer posts show above this one on the site.