During my illness three years ago people said my attitude was incredible, and my gut says yeah, it played a role in my total recovery against nasty odds. The first paragraph of my CaringBridge journal ended saying we'll "do everything we can to maximize my chances. Top of the list: a strong mental attitude and a clear mind!"
Thanks to online Connecticut friend Kathleen Tinkel, I just discovered a guy who takes "attitude" to a new level of inspiration: Jothy Rosenberg. 37 years ago he lost a leg to osteosarcoma, which spread 3 years later to his lungs; he lost 40% of them. Well, check this out:
He's ridden the 192 mile Pan Mass Challenge bike ride seven times, and has swum from Alcatraz to San Francisco 16 times. With one lung and one leg.
Why? He writes, "To get through life at all I desperately needed to find a way to regain a sense of self-confidence. I did that through athletics."
He's written a book, launching Dec. 16, titled, aptly enough, "Who Says I Can't?" His story's on his blog here, and the book's Facebook page is here.
I gotta meet him....
Update March 17, 2010: Jothy is currrently planning his next Alcatraz swim. Go donate. I did.
His website/blog: http://www.whosaysicant.org/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Jothmeister
Facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/whosaysicant
His book, "Who Says I Can't?" http://www.whosaysicant.net/
Hi, I'm the one who told Kathleen about Jothy and his book launch. She is a long time online friend whom I've never met in person who coincidentally now lives about a mile from the house I grew up in. Google shows me that you were at MIT the same time I was, a year ahead of me, but I don't recall meeting you then. The coincidences pile up -- I see the link in your sidebar for Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, where my brother works.
ReplyDeleteBesides his inspirational story, Jothy is one of the most wonderful people you'll ever meet -- I know him from when we both worked at Borland during its Golden Age. I emailed Jothy with a link to this blog post and told him to expect to hear from you.