I am in Penticton and eagerly awaiting the race tomorrow as well as rooting for QRGirl and mdraegernyc as they cruise to (hopefully) pr's and a good race day. Unfortunately, I had to withdraw from this year's competition due to a terrible crash in June resulting in a broken neck, broken ribs, punctured lung and various other injuries and road rashes. While here among the crowds of uber-fit endurance athletes, I have found myself somewhat of a spectacle due to my cervical collar brace and walking sticks. QRgirl says this is because amongst this crowd, I am everyone's worst nightmare. This may be true, but I have also been the recipient of many compliments and well wishes from the same crowd. In subsequent conversations, I have met three others, (one athlete and two spectators) who have recovered from similiar injuries in the recent past. The athlete, in particular, had an amazing story of breaking his C2 (like me) last year in a crash, recovering, and coming here to compete again! I found his story both compelling and inspiring. From my perspective, 10 weeks post accident, it was encouraging almost beyond words to hear him tell of his experience. What was especially inspiring was his overall positive attitude regarding the whole thing. I found myself identifying with that and agreeing with him that from the accident forward, each day is a gift - a sweet and precious gift.

In this thread, I am asking this community for other inspiring stories of recovery and hope around the theme of endurance sports. I'd like to hear more and pass that encouragement on to others not so fortunate. Please keep your views and rants of the current healthcare system in this country to yourself, and pass on your inspirations to those of us still hurting. Thanks, this will also be posted in the LR. :-) and I look forward to reading both!

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Keep moving forward, just keep moving forward...

~~ I am no longer broken... ~~