Take a moment.
Look down on you.
A pair of legs.
Whatever shape or size or color they may be, some are well shaved, some belong to multisporters and will never be shaved even though they should, some have paint on their toenails, some are fast and some are just the way they are.
But they are there.
You just walked on them over to your computer and logged onto this page. You may have just been swimming or out for a ride or run. After sitting here and reading this, you might go out for a paddle or some more riding, getting that kick from exercising that we love so much.
We have a pair of arms and legs which enable us to go out and live life.
What would you do without them? Despair? Give up? Go on and find another way?
The thought of having something happen to me which would take away the freedom of living my life as a sport-addict always freaked me out a bit. What would I do if something would 'disable' me?
A few years ago I met Mark Inglis. For those of you who don't know, he's a Kiwi, who lost both of his legs below the knee in 1982 during a freak climbing accident. A blizzard caught him and his climbing partner out and they were stuck in an ice cave on Mt. Cook for 13 days. He went on to win a silver medal in 1 km time trial event at the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games, climbed Mt. Cook again in 2002 and moved on to become the first ever double amputee to reach the summit of Mt. Everest. 2007 he came to Rotorua and gave a talk to our Triathlon Club about his life, his amputation and his quest to climb Mount Everest.
This talk really opened my eyes that there is no real 'disability' unless you accept it. And there's always a way forward. Loosing a limb doesn't mean you have to loose your life. You can keep going on and live to the max, whatever your max may be. But you need two things - attitude and a prosthesis. The right attitude may not come easy, but you can get it if you work on it. Attitude comes free of charge, but sometimes you need some help to get it. That second thing, the prosthesis, that's not for free, you need money and help to get it. In some cases your insurance may help, in some cases and countries there is no insurance. And there might be this young kid, who want's to pursue his talent in a sport but needs a special prosthesis for it. There are people out there, that may never get the chance to walk upright again if it wasn't for people like Mark and Anne Inglis, who have set up limbs4all to help some of the 400 million disabled people in the world by supporting projects and individuals both within New Zealand and world wide.
Inspired by Mark that there's always a way out and forward, I decided that I would like to support his charity during my journey towards the BC Bike Race. We all so often take everything for granted and don't know how lucky we are and forget to pay it forward.
I hope some of you are keen to support me and Mark to raise some money for his charity limbs4all. If you are, then take your healthy hands and go to http://www.fundraiseonline.co.nz/KatrinWalbert/ fundraiser logo on the right side which will bring you to the donation webpage. You might have to get on your two legs to get your credit card details, but hey, it's worth the cause!
If you want to know more about Mark Inglis and limbs4all, check out www.limbs4all.com www.markinglis.co.nz - he's one handy motivational speaker! Mark also know's how to make sports nutrition, his brand Peak Fuel can be found in Bike Shops all over the country and is highly recommended! Check out www.peakfuel.co.nz for more info on the products.
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