The ride that almost wasn’t
5/30/16 - Airborne on Alaska Airlines somewhere between Chicago, IL and Anchorage, AK.
Getting
the ball rolling on this expedition was exciting. After two years of planning to do this trip
upon my graduation, the move to make it part of my schooling was a lighting fast
process. I had the thought that I could use
this ride for school over a weekend toward the end of spring semester 2016 and
then began speaking with my adviser and my professors the following
Tuesday. I really thought it was all
just going to be a pipe dream and that I would still be taking it after
graduation.
To my
surprise there was almost no resistance at any level to me taking the trip or
using it for guided studies in journalism.
Each of my relevant professors not only agreed, but were incredibly
encouraging of both the expedition and the reasoning behind it.
After
that first domino fell, everything began to drop perfectly into place to
follow. The Honda Outpost not only
offered me discount support on equipment, but their social-media manager Justin
had taken a similar journey through Central- and South America by motorcycle
some years before and was willing and happy to provide planning and route
selection assistance.
The Outpost also had a leftover 2015 Honda CB500X, the motorcycle I was most highly
considering taking for the ride, and were willing to work a great deal on the
bike because they were so onboard with the project. They had also just become Giant Loop dealers,
the US distributor for the Rally Raid CB500X Adventure kits that would make the
bike truly perfect for the journey.
My
choice of charity for the ride was also highly responsive and began to
immediately respond to inquiries about support.
Though initially they thought that I was looking for them to support the
ride, rather than my intent to support the Soldiers Project with both
fundraising and awareness.
Everything
began to come together at a rapid clip and seemed like the most natural and
sure progression in the world. Then my
back went out.
My time
in the Army had not been kind to my body.
In specific I had managed to injure almost every part of my body at
least once in six years. My back however
had seen quite a bit of damage, including a compression fracture of my T12
vertebra while in Iraq. Due to the injuries I often end up with sever spasms
that will often leave me immobile for days at a time. I generally get one every two to three years
that lays me low and this spring was apparently my due date for a doozy of one.
Just as
all the planning came together and I spent the money to purchase the new bike,
without having sold my prior bike to finance it, my low back decided to spasm
so badly I couldn’t sleep and was only able to move or stand with help or a
wall to lean on. Unable to stand up
straight I was moving slow and looking as if things were going to fall
apart.
With no
insurance outside of VA care, it didn’t look like I would be able to expect any
help. Care with the VA had been a
terrible experience for me and one that never went quickly or well. So when I showed up to a scheduled meeting with
the VA social worker nearly unable to walk, I was surprised to get triaged
almost immediately and then authorized to get care from a civilian clinic that
day. The clinic was able to see me
almost immediately and care was provided by a doctor of orthopedics who had
been the first army doctor to see my for my back in 2002
who was now still working in the area. The care was quick and relief was only a few days and treatments away.
who was now still working in the area. The care was quick and relief was only a few days and treatments away.
What had
almost been an end to my trip before it began, turned out to be a fortunate
great first experience with VA care working out correctly.
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