Monday, July 21,  2003

Dothan Visitation

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Well, at least some of the boys are looking better from behind. Actually, Bruce drug both Mark and Jim into another TV interview today at HealthSouth in Dothan, Alabama. Mark and Jim had tried to engage others in discussion when the camera lights went on, but Bruce would have none of it and grabbed his compatriots by the scruffs of their necks and forced them to do the right thing.

As you can tell from the uniforms, today was a visitation -- this time to HealthSouth in Dothan. A tremendous visit was prepared for us (thanks Margot!) and we got to meet many staff and patients. It was wonderful, with many smiles and much laughter.

The mayor of Dothan declared July 21st as Amputees Across America Day in Dothan. The boys felt honored and embarrassed. Today was especially significant for Mark because it is the 27th anniversary of his accident. So basically, he's spent more of his life as a gimp than as a normal person. That would be sad to many people, but Mark takes being abnormal in stride.

While we were waiting to begin our ride this morning, we met the father of a local amputee (Kip, who is 28). Both father and son took a few minutes from work and attended our event. Thanks for the inspiration, gentlemen, and don't forget to send in that application for 2004, Kip!

The wife of one of the therapists at HealthSouth baked and decorated a beautiful cake in honor of the boys. And it was tasty, too.

Sharon, the administrator at HealthSouth, poses here with with boys, who are smiling wildly as they anticipate digging in.

One of the wonderful patients we met today. Joe likes it when we meet patients because he hopes it will teach us patience. Not pictured are the boys shoving patients aside to grab yet another piece of cake. Joe says we have a long, long way to go. We just hope it isn't on bicycles.

Margot, the director of business development, poses at right with the boys. She and her inventive staff, much to Joe's chagrin, quickly found a way to corral the boys, as shown below. Truly, readers, Margot and others at HealthSouth out did themselves when planning this event, which included representatives from the local amputee community as well as a prominent local prosthetics firm. As it was also Margot's birthday today, we suspect that this event was originally planned to be Margot's birthday party.  Happy Birthday Margot and thank you for inviting us to attend. 

Here are the boys in the filing cabinet of the business development office looking for marketing materials.  Fortunately, the stock was plentiful and they came away with various and sundry trinkets to add to the Peanut gift baskets so thoughtfully provided by Margot and her staff.

At the end of the visitation, Margot took the boys, Joe, and Janette (Joe's wife) out for lunch at the River Nile Cafe in downtown Dothan, which is experiencing something of a revival. The food and service were wonderful -- the breads are the highlight, along with the french onion soup, so check them out if you are ever in Dothan.

Tomorrow, we ride to Tallahassee, which is our next to last ride. Things are winding down, yet we continue to meet wonderful people, are still laughing, and (as Lawrence asked us to do in Colorado Springs) we are still sharing the love.

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