This month we've had more rain and storms than I have seen in 35 years of living in California. And a funny thing happened, I kept telling my wife Pat, "God, my foot is soaked."
She naively said, "Well, take off your tennis shoes." I had to remind her that it's not the foot I have, rather the foot I don't have from my amputation. She had long ago forgotten that when you're amputated your brain sends signals to your nerves to protect you. So, for three weeks I walked around with a soaked foot that I didn't have, while the real foot was dry. Years ago a doctor had told me that that would happen, for unlike in other injuries, your nerves will calm down or die out over time; but when you're amputated, your brain is still sending signals to your nerves to kind of protect you. As he explained, they send "reinforcements." Before I step into the shower, my foot is already soaked, and right now I'm in the house alone, looking out the window at this morning's rain, and my foot is soaked again! It's got me wondering about my little three-legged companion Brie . . . Does she go through the same thing and have phantom pain and a wet paw when it rains?
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Unfortunately, I haven't been on my blog since I came down with Covid a couple weeks ago. But now I'm ready to tackle something I never thought I would do. The people who are the closest to me think the next step for me to take is to write a children's book. And the more think about about it, now that Brie is officially my dog because of Lois' passing, I'm ready to write a book titled, The Adventures of Brie and Me. Stay tuned from the two amputees!
It seems like that this year is off to a very good start, for I've been invited to be a guest on my first podcast. The topic is "People with disabilities, and what they can do, rather than what they can't do." The name of the podcast is CanDo Chronicles, which is run by a gentlemen named Adam Bremen. He has cerebral palsy and has spent his whole life in a wheelchair. Someone who works for him picked up my book A Leg to Stand on, and thought I would be a perfect guest . . . of course, with Brie. We're filming on January 11th, and I'll let you know when it will be aired.
Of course, Brie will be with me because she has also shown what she can do with three legs, which is amazing. Soon I will post a video of Brie running full tilt, gracefully as a dog with four legs. It's quite amazing the speed she can pick up with my coaching. She really gets into it and seems proud of herself. I know, of course, that I'm partial because I love her, but I still am in awe of her fluid motion, making running seem natural. I can't wait to share the video with everyone. |
Tony AlbanoStoryteller Archives
April 2024
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