Monday, March 22, 2010

Rollin', Rollin', Rollin'

The title is a reference to the theme song of the old Rawhide TV series. The reason for the post was a chance meeting yesterday with a guy who had no legs. I was in a store, and I see this guy in a wheelchair checking out as I went through a nearby line. As I went out, he had headed our before me. I gave him a hand holding his cart while he unladed groceries from it. He was fairly young, I guessing 30ish. We talked a bit about wheelchairs, and he had one of the hand-cranked jobs, I think they call handbikes in the back of his van. He told me he's been called a wimp on occasion by some of the push-rim guys. He also told me that he hopes to compete in the NYC Marathon. Before we parted, I asked if he minded telling me what had happened. He told me he'd lost his legs in the crash of the Staten Island Ferry. I'm always impressed by some of these guys who when life deals them a lousy hand just keep moving forward and do what they can with a good attitude.

Labels: , ,