Some Inspiration for the Rest of Us
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| Tue, 04-11-2006 - 10:40am |
Has anyone ever seen the show "Rebuilt"? It's on the Discovery Health network, which I didn't even know I had until a few months ago. Anyway, the show is about a specific doctor's office called OPC. He provides orthotics and prosthetics to patients who have lost limbs.
The reason I posted this here is that the one recurring theme in the patients they profile on the show is how athletic they were prior to the accident or disease that took their limbs, and how they make the journey back to becoming physically active. Some were competitive athletes, some were recreational like many of us, and the doctor is himself a triathlete.
He often goes out with his patients on their first bike ride with a new custom made limb, or on their first fun with a new custom made leg. He went to the pool with a woman and her husband for her first swim. With her, she wasn't using her prosthetic forearm in the water, but she was concerned about people seeing her.
I watched an episode Saturday after HKD class. A soccer player got back out and played with her team with her new leg. And a young woman wanted to try running again. The doctor went out with her for her first try with the leg. I was sitting there thinking that if she could struggle to "learn" to run again with this metal leg, then I certainly could struggle to keep working at it with my two good and pretty strong ones.
It's just one of those shows that kind of magic. I always feel inspired at the end of each one I get to see.

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That sounds like a great show!!
Shows like that are both heart wrenching and inspiring. I'll have to look out for that one- definitely sounds inspiring!
Success is 10% talent and 90% heart!
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It would be nice to see more stuff like this, and more available. I usually see this show after HKD, anywhere between 4 and 6:00 on Saturdays here.
I was an Apprentice addict the first two seasons. Didn't watch it much this time around, but even worse, I have actually watched America's Next Top Model, OMG - so embarrassed.
Aren't the Paralympic events held after the main Olympics are done? I wish the TV would cover some of the Paralympic events. I know that it wouldn't generate the interest that the main Olympic games do, but then again, maybe they would. It would be nice if some station would take the chance at least once.
It is interesting to see how people adjust. The doctor said, on Saturday's show actually, that the adults do have an adjustment period where they have to "re-learn," but the kids who were born missing limbs or whatever have never known anything else so they don't have that adjustment to deal with. They grew up learning how to live with what they had, or didn't have.
If they get into the story that caused the patient to be where they are, it can be sad, but the tone of the show is so overwhelmingly optimistic. It's pretty cool.
My sister just took her SAT test. She wants to go into pre-med next fall when she starts college. I could see her doing something like that with her career.
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Wow -
You know, it has been so long ago, but I do remember my adopted sister, who was one of my parents many "foster kids" at that time, having a surgery. She had casts on both of her little legs when she was about six months old.