Back in March, I went down to Georgia and became the very proud owner of a 1972 Harley Sportster. This was my dream bike. With me being a left a.k., this bike was as though it had been created just for me. The gear shifter was located on the right side, which allowed me to ride the bike with no modification whatsoever. On Saturday, May 9, I was out riding the country roads near my house (in fact, I was only 2.4 miles from home) when a '96 Dodge Caravan veered into my lane, creating a head-on collision. The impact immediately knocked me unconscious. The long-term damage was a crushed pelvis, fractured left arm, fractured right shoulder, and 4 fractured ribs on my right side. It is now May 19, ten days removed from the accident, and I feel like crap. I've had to hire an attorney due to the insurance company of the at-fault driver not wanting to do what they're supposed to do. It will be very interesting to see how this comes out. They did send out an adjuster today to look at my motorcycle, which they deemed to be a "total loss". I told them "you can say whatever you want to, but you're not taking the motorcycle away from me". So, they're now going to write it up as though they are paying me for the damages, not totaling the bike, enabling me to retain and repair the motorcycle without having to get a 'salvage title'. (That was a major answer to prayer!) My mom told me that "a man in your condition doesn't have any business at all on a motorcycle". I said "A man in my condition? What the hell is that supposed to mean? What do you want me to do, learn how to cane chairs and do that all day long? No thank you. That ain't living. I am going to live my life to the fullest, and enjoy each and every moment of it while I have the ability and desire to do so". Y'all keep me in your prayers...
I had just spend like an hour typing out this long message, and when I clicked "submit blog", it took me to my sign-on page, and I friggen' lost everything I typed!! How very frustrating this is...
My name's Scott Rogers, and I'm fortunate enough to reside in the beautiful, scenic Appalachian Mountains of rural East Tennessee. I'm 40 years old, very happily married to my bride of almost 19 years. We have 7 awesome children together, and life is never dull.
I became an amputee following a Memorial Day '98 accident involving a .12 gauge shotgun. (This was an honest-to-God accident. I've heard the horror stories of the wannabe's who intentionally do this to themselves, and it is beyond my scope of comprehension as to why anyone would choose this.)
Prior to the accident, I was a Paramedic in Atlanta for 12 years. I loved that vocation, and miss it very much even now.
In the time since the accident, I have set about trying to reclaim my life. At the time of the accident, we lived in Georgia, where we'd both been born and raised. Following the accident, I had to sell my home. I had greater than 85% equity in the home, so I took our earnings from the sale of the home, and took off northbound in search of affordable housing near the mountains. I kept searching until I could find something that we could afford to buy outright. We were very fortunate to locate an ancient farmhouse (built in 1901) that's nestled at the base of the Clinch Mountain range in East Tennessee. It's a step back in time, and a really wonderful place to raise a family.
In 2003, I made the decision to hike the Appalachian Trail. As a means of preparation, I hiked the Laurel Highlands hiking trail in South-Central Pennsylvania. That was an amazing experience that I really enjoyed.
On March 22, 2004, I set foot on the A.T. with the intentions of not stopping until I reached Maine. On November 6, 2004, I had to come off of the trail due to my only brother committing suicide. I was 300 miles short of my goal. I returned in August of 2005, and completed the trail on Sept.21, 2005. When I finished, I had hiked 2,178 miles, and became the first above-knee amputee to accomplish this feat. My next goal is to summit Mount McKinley in Alaska.
When I'm not climbing a mountain or hiking a trail, I enjoy spending quality time with my family, attending church, and riding my Harley. Life really is what you make of it.
I'm glad to be a part of this group. I'm looking forward to meeting you, and hope to learn a lot from y'all.
Warmest regards,
Scott Rogers
