United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

Well, this is a great topic with me. After cruising around on this message board, this topic has stood out the most. Before accident, (right arm BPI) I was really active. I spent my entire life surfing and Skateboarding. Bikes and Sailing also played a big part in my fun, as well as snowboarding and motorcycles. The accident turned around alot of things for me, one being my career. I was working as a Chef in resort coastal and mountain towns. Now I turned my hobby with computers into a living, recieving my associates in Information Systems, and Getting my certification in Sysco Networking Communication. The biggest challenge of course was how to get the endorphines flowing again. Surfing was of course first on my list. Living here in Cape Hatteras, NC we get plenty of good surf, so this left the problem of getting around as well as I used to in the surf. The first challenge would be designing an arm sling that would hold my arm out of the way and that could take the abuse of salt water. Currently I have created an exellent sling out of wetsuit material that secures the arm and is realy adjstable and easy to use. The next challenge would be propulsion. So, I let my legs do the work with fins and I ride kneeboards when it is small and forgiving, and ride a bodyboard on the more heavier days. The biggest I have been out and caught my share is 10 - 12 ft faces, it was a bouncy ride on the bodyboard but the rush was back! It has been three years since the accident and there is a long list of things that I love to do. (a lot of these things are made so much easier with the development of my sling, I guess sewing could be added to the list as well.)Skateboarding has been my savior, we have some great skateboard parks being built all over and I have been to about fifteen parks in the last year. Mostly pool riding and the responce from other skaters is overwhelming. Another big challenge was the two sail boats I owned, a twelve foot hobie cat, and a 25 foot family cruiser monohull. The 25 footer has taken me on many great sails, and two extended trips two hundred miles each, singlehandedly, literally. The boat is set up so I can use everything single handed. My wish list would be back in the saddle both motorcycle and mountain bike, also sailboarding, kitesurfing, and golfing. This winter I am spending a week in Vail, CO to snowboard. This will be the first time back on the mountain since the accident, but it closely resembles skateboarding so I don't foresee any obstacle there. As you can see there is no limit to what can be done with this setback, I wish the best to anyone who can still maintain an active lifestyle after BPI, Rob

I was also pretty active before my accident. I've been looking for a sling that will allow me to snowboard and ski again. If you have some pictures of your sling, I would really appreciate seeing them. Thanks,
Dennis