What if an injury meant could no longer ride.....?

[MintSauce]

Video of John Ramsden, Vancouver based freerider who suffered a spinal injury several months ago in a riding accident, on his 'Trailrider'.

 

It would seriously break my heart if I could no longer ride my MTB. This makes you appreciate it even more!

 

 

http://media.putfile.com/Trail-Rider

 

 

 

 

[dirtrider]

same thing happened to my friend in CPT two years ago . He very unhappy chappie !!!

[AndreZA]

It's not nice to think about but you do not have to give up being involved with cycling.

I visited my dad in hospital a few month agao and they brought in a young lad in grade 7 who just injured his neck in a rugby game. He was captain of all the sports teams he were on. You could never play a contact sport again. We bumped into his parents a few weeks ago and they said he's gon into depression and everything suffers because of him not being able to play rugby anymore.

 

 

[Quicksilv3r]

Wow thats terrible! I don't know what I would do without cycling! Its the only sport apart from running that im good at.

[javadude]

Tara Llane is another MTBer that is recovering from a spinal injury. She is paralysed from the waste down.

 

http://www.lat34.com/bmx/tara_llanes_injury_updates/

 

[crashtestdummy]

Been very close twice now, and the blood still drains from my face when I read storeys like that.

[Ratty]

I'd cry, cry and then cry some more.  Throw a few things around and shout and swear! 

 

I think unlike the guy in the video that I would avoid ALL places where I used to cycle and anything that would remind me of what I'm missing out on.

[crashtestdummy]

Thats assuming you can even lift a hand !

[Wonder Woman]

I'd personally rather die than be fully paralised, that would kill me. Your brain is active but you can't do anything. At least if it is from the waist down you can still get around in a wheelchair and race in the paraplegic sections.

[widget]

Riding a bike or playing any sport can never be more important than your physical health.

 

I spent the best part of 20 years participating in long distance running events, those that read this forum will know I have completed over 11 comrades marathons and 9 two oceans, I have run the Boston marathon and the London marathon, 10 odd years ago my cervical vertebra started to crumble, my neurosurgeon told me to stop running - what did he know - I continued - two cervical fusions followed, - again he told me to stop running - argh, I am fine -  a few months later my spinal vertebra also stated to crumble, 1 spinal fusion, 6 months in a brace unable to sit down and, later been so weak I couldnt cut a slice of bread without assistance - (do you really know whats that like - I doubt it.!) and a warning from my neurosurgeon that if I wanted to see my 50th birthday standing up and not in a wheel chair, convinced me, I have to stop running!!.

 

Was it tough?

 

Damn right - but I like walking, sitting, driving, and been mobile more than I liked running.

 

Now I cycle and swim, both non load bearing so my spine is not under pressure, but I can never run again.   

 

Tara is 30 years old - at the prime of her life,so much to look forward to, a family, a career, running in the park with your kids - to be paralysed from the waist down is just awefull,  -  NO SPORT IS WORTH THAT PRICE.  

 

[MintSauce]

Sometimes doing a particular sport is the only thing that makes some poeple feel alive....it is worse to be alive and feel dead than to be dead

 

 

 

 

[nellie]

I would go absolutely crazy! Sorry, i don't think i'd want to live in a vegetative state. I can't think how it would feel to not be able to move or do anything for yourself.

 

I love independence, and that would just be like murder. My sport helps for stress relief and it's what makes me happy, makes me want to get out of bed at 5am and what makes me want to smile every day. If that's taken away...i really don't know

[Zoo Cookie]

this life of ours is very fragile, without any guarantees and money can't buy love and it can't buy health.

so, i suppose the best we can do, is to embrace every minute enjoy it the best we can, because you can never know what is waiting for you around the next corner.....

a superman called Christopher Reeves also comes to mind.

[Tumbleweed]

Sometimes doing a particular sport is the only thing that makes some poeple feel alive....it is worse to be alive and feel dead than to be dead

 

 

 

 

 

totally agree. and you never feel so alive as when the adrenaline gets going when you nearly ditch your bike off a ledge or down a drop. corny as it sounds, i come alive in singletrack. i live for singletrack. 

[MintSauce]

Sometimes doing a particular sport is the only thing that makes some poeple feel alive....it is worse to be alive and feel dead than to be dead

 

 

 

 

i live for singletrack. 

 

 

We're just going to get along great! So....what's your piggybank for your trip to Canada looking like....?

 

I'm doing some SERIAAAS scheming to get the bucks!

 

 

[_BBi]

My best friend is a quad, and it is a lot tougher than one thinks. He has shown me to use every moment to your fullest. I think a lot about him when riding alone in the mountains.

The funny thing is that most para's or quad's is actually more "happy" than most of us, and do not complain about life in general. A real lesson to all of us.