Deanna Babcock - Thoughts and Prayers (Page 20)

I love the updates.  Way to go girl.

just getting caught up after a few wks of not having the time to read the forum posts! .

• a--> where & how do i get my shirt ?
• b-->rock on DB! i suck at headstands. and they make my head hurt.

you know, this thread has been around a while, and for some reason I never stopped in, I have just read the last two pages of it, and I am floored at Deanna's posts.  I only hope to someday have the courage and fight that you do.  And the sense of humor.  I feel bad smiling but your description of trying to clip in.... 

Keep on rocking it girl!

I too just found this thread and have read it little by little over the past two days - what an amazing progression to read and follow along...

You are an amazing inspiration (obviously) to all of us!

Just reinforces the thought to live each day as if its your last because you never know what tomorrow has in store!

Good luck with your training and your future races!

Today it is three months and two days since I got out of the hospital.  To celebrate my three-month anniversary of freedom, I played a pretty epic game of disc golf.  Good times. 

Another reason to celebrate is that I got a new leg today, called the C-Leg, from Otto Bock.  If you add up the value of all my belongings, including my car, that still does not match the cost of my C-Leg.  But it is a pretty kick a$$ leg.  Once I sort of figured out how to walk on it without crashing into objects/people, I asked my prosthetist if you could run on the C-Leg.  He said you could, even though it is not really made for running.  Not made for running…psh.  After leaving the leg place, and also after happy hour, I figured I was good enough at walking to try running.  (Side note: Recall that my vital organs were not functioning very well a couple of months ago, so before you dismiss this tale as mere drunken rambling, know that I am not yet ready to punish my organs further with legal poisoning…I had water…ok, cranberry juice too.)  So I headed to the same grass field where I learned how to ride my bike, only this time I brought a friend just in case my leg got stuck in third or something and I couldn’t stop.  And I ran.  My leg didn’t get stuck in third, and I didn’t even hit the deck.  I just ran along the field a few times...proper running, strides in rapid succession, with both feet off the ground at the same time.  I was pretty excited.  That’s all I got.

Deanna     

Deanna, that is incredible news!  It's wonderful to hear that you're doing so well, and even back to RUNNING again after such a short time! 

Way to go! 

That's fantastic news!  I will be looking for you to begin tri training soon and be ready for an event in the latter part of '08!! 

You are an inspiration and I think of you often just for that reason.  Keep up the great work!

Money quote from the story:

"I don't want to be an active amputee," she says. "I want to be an active person."

Deanna, mind if that one goes in our quotes database? 

Hey all,

Just wanted to say that I got a running leg yesterday, so I ran for the first time in about eight months. Ossur, an Icelandic company that is the leading researcher and developer of the carbon flex feet for running, sponsored the leg for me and has agreed to keep the newest technology coming my way. Read: running legs cost me nothing, I just have to run around kicking a$$ and taking names.

Running with a carbon blade foot feels pretty different, so it will take some time to get used to. It is pretty fun, though, because the foot is super bouncy and you can hop around on it like a pogo stick.

My first swim/bike race is about three months out, first super sprint is about 5 months down the road, and I randomly signed up for a half iron in November. The phrase "it seemed like a good idea at the time" comes to mind here.

Ironman Florida 2009 is looking realistic, as long as I don't run into any more issues with dying/amputation/prolonged hospital stays.

D

D,

Awesome news!  It is very exciting for me to hear that you are getting the best that technology can offer....and....all you have to do is as you put it "run around kicking a$$ and taking names"!

Nothing can hold you back from your goals!