Recent content by WFD

  1. W

    Amputation Left Above-Knee Amputation, 22 April 2025

    Hi @Layla , Thanks for checking in. Things are well with me and with my family. It is nice to have cooler weather. I no longer sweat like pig during my paddling workouts. I do them early in the morning on a local river, the Merrimack. There is a lot of wildlife to be seen first thing on...
  2. W

    Amputation Left Above-Knee Amputation, 22 April 2025

    Thanks, @Jamie . Ranger School graduation was off the scale impressive, with demonstrations involving helicopter operations and not-so-simulated explosions. We had a great time. My son is recovering now. Full recovery will take a while - he lost over 30 lbs in 9 weeks, and he was lean to...
  3. W

    Amputation Left Above-Knee Amputation, 22 April 2025

    Thanks, @Layla . I’m doing well, and still paddling. Leaving in a few days for Columbus, GA, to see my son graduate from Ranger School (if all goes well with this last week). I can’t wait for cooler temperatures. Heat is harder on amputees, because we have less area to radiate heat from, and...
  4. W

    Amputation Left Above-Knee Amputation, 22 April 2025

    Hi @Layla, Things are going well. I decided not to go to nationals this summer. I wouldn't be able to show a good enough time to make the national team, though I would almost certainly win my event, judging from last year's results. Four days of driving for a single one-minute race is not...
  5. W

    Amputation Left Above-Knee Amputation, 22 April 2025

    Hi @Layla , I did complete the second camp and raced in the trials. Unfortunately, I did not make the time standard and so did not make the team. I may have another opportunity. If I go to the nationals at the end of July and post a qualifying time there, I believe that will get me on the...
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    Amputation Left Above-Knee Amputation, 22 April 2025

    @Layla , thanks for checking in. I’m currently in Oklahoma City, on the last day of a week-long paracanoe training camp, covering sprint kayak and sprint outrigger canoe. I’m pretty tired and sore, and looking forward to the flight home tomorrow. In another month I have another camp and then...
  7. W

    Amputation Left Above-Knee Amputation, 22 April 2025

    @Jamie , the dry suit is literally dry inside. It’s made of Gore-Tex and has deals at the neck and wrists, and booties over the feet. You literally stay dry inside. I wear long underwear inside the suit. Survival and Exposure suits are similar. It works well for very cold conditions. I...
  8. W

    Amputation Left Above-Knee Amputation, 22 April 2025

    Yesterday, I was able to take my new outrigger canoe out on a lake in NH. I only fell in a few times :-). The resistance of the water makes it hard to straighten the prosthetic leg as you pick yourself up, so you just fall in again… The water temperature was maybe up to 40 F, so I was wearing...
  9. W

    Amputation Left Above-Knee Amputation, 22 April 2025

    Hi @Layla , Things are going well. We’ve still got snow on most of the ground and headed for mud season in the next few weeks. I recently drove down from Massachusetts to Maryland to transport back an outrigger canoe that I intend to train on for racing this season. Now I just need the water...
  10. W

    Amputation Left Above-Knee Amputation, 22 April 2025

    Thanks, Layla. I'm doing well, and have had to clear the snow four times already I think. Yesterday's storm was wet snow and that is a real chore to shift. I had the socket on my prosthetic leg adjusted the day before that and now I'm quite sore. Our new dog Maggie came home on 1/24 the same...
  11. W

    Amputation Left Above-Knee Amputation, 22 April 2025

    @Jamie , I recommend the following resources for your therapist's client. Perhaps you could forward this to the therapist? First, the amputee coalition at www.amputee-coalition(dot)org. It is a nonprofit that receives federal funding, is free to join and does not harvest your personal...
  12. W

    Amputation Left Above-Knee Amputation, 22 April 2025

    Yes, absolutely. Cats on the other hand, are evil, as everyone knows, and will sit and stare at you, plotting your demise. They only hold back because they haven't yet figured out how to insert themselves into your will as the sole heir. :-)
  13. W

    Amputation Left Above-Knee Amputation, 22 April 2025

    Their shops are usually named "...Shoe Repair". There are two in Nashua, NH where I do most of my shopping, and they do a good business. A lot of people with expensive leather boots and coats, etc., getting them repaired instead of throwing them away - an excellent practice in this disposable...
  14. W

    Amputation Left Above-Knee Amputation, 22 April 2025

    Hi @Layla , Thanks for checking in. Things are going well. I continue to work out and get stronger, and am planning to return to kayak racing in the spring when everything thaws out. Dealing with icy driveways etc. is a challenge with a prosthetic leg, because balance is more challenging...
  15. W

    Amputation Left Above-Knee Amputation, 22 April 2025

    @Layla , @EalingGran , thank you for your holiday wishes. Things are going well for me - I’m continuing to work out and get stronger. Here in New England it’s been quite cold and we’ve had some snow, which I’ve been able to shovel, no problems. We’ll have all three kids home for the...
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