Saturday, September 18, 2010

Day 247: Greater than through love and support: Journey with the Cape Fear Heart Walk and Adam Freeman

well, the day did not start off the way I intended to say the least! I got on my bike and head for downtown. Today was "Walk a Mile in Her Shoes" an annual benefit for the Rape Crisis Center for Coastal Horizons. I have been priviledge to serve on that board for a number of years. Coastal treats mental health and substance abuse as well as Crisis Intervention with Rape Crisis and our Youth Shelter and 24/7 hot line. Of course, government will fund substance abuse and mental health treatment to a certain extent, but crisis intervention is almost all fundrasied and grant funded. It is astounding the amount of violence against women..AND men in our community, particularly our youth and these folks are truly heros. http://coastalhorizons.org

So, I was going to bike downtown and enjoy the day. About the time I got to the University and was crossing a parking lot, a transition from the parking lot to the sidewalk that has a step lip, well lets say the lip is a lot larger than it should be and I was thrown over my handle bars going about as fast as you can imagine with "bobblehead" playing on my I-Phone. I landed...literally on my lip and my knee. It stunned me, but I was able to pick myself up and walk my bike back. It was nice this time, because two folks passing actually asked if I was ok instead of going right by.

One thing I learned, however, today is that pain does not come immediately...but when you land on your knee at 12 miles an hour or more...pain will come lol!  I was determined to go to the event...and So off I went in my car. I am grateful for this, becuase I contemplated riding the bike still, but the chain had been knocked loose.

So, I went back to the house, doctored the lip...which looked very anjelina jolie..and headed out. As i got downtown, I was limping, but was ok. I was Stunned at the crowd. It was double last year if not triple and it was amazing!

I was so glad I came becuase the organizers, Lauran Aldredge and head of Rape Crisis, Am Feath and their committee had done such an amazing job!

I was asked to speak and did and then they were off!
I limped back to the car and realized this was a lot worse than I thought when I had a hard time getting my leg in the car. I went straight to my doctors. Long story short, they exrayed it and there is nothing broken, but I am having to stay off it a couple of days with ice etc.


Now..here is the part that I know will drive a couple of you crazy. I said at the doctor, who has been with me for years, that I was grateful and have repeated this a few times since. See, when I have been laid up in bed before it was because I got so big my back went out. I was so unhealthy my immune system was breaking down constantly. Today, I was in the office with a bruised and battered knee because of an accident while biking downtown after a week that I ran a 5k...and when they weighed me when I got there, I had lost another 3 lbs and my blood pressure was amazing! Yep...All the pain I am feeling right now...all the discomfort of this little bump in the road...I am grateful!

me and Crisis Intervention Director Amy Feath
event organizer Lauren Aldredge and our Sheriff, Ed McMahon
a father teaching great values to his sons!

1 comment:

Raven said...

I feel your pain, Bo. I had a fall just like that in Zambia. My front tire dropped into a hole in the road and like Superman I went over the handlebars, then the bike came down on top of me to add insult to injury. Luckily the helmet kept my head together, but I hurt all over for several days. I also sprawled myself face first in the middle of the road once, but luckily no cars were in the immediate vicinity. Those are the prices for biking.

I'm so proud of all the work you've done and the incredible attitude you have through it all. You are (to repeat what has been said so many times before) such an inspiration! Sending you hugs and virtual ice packs and healing thoughts!