Published: July 04, 2006 01:20 pm      

Inspiration on wheels

DUNCAN — Dream it. Believe it. Achieve it.

These are three ideas that are reality to the group named Amputees Across America, which made its way Monday through Duncan.

The journey started in Tustin, Calif., and will end July 31 in Vero Beach, Fla. There are three full-time riders, with guests joining them throughout their trek, with the mission of bringing awareness and inspiration. Stopping at HealthSouth facilities and other amputee support centers, the group was headed to Ardmore before making its way to Dallas today.

All of the riders have suffered limb loss, but have not given up on life.

“I’ve lost a leg, but I’m still alive,” Gary Summers said. “I chose to get better. If I can give someone hope, then it was all worth it. This ride is a way to show people that you can move forward in your life despite obstacles.”

Summers is a Mount Sterling, Ohio, resident who is making his first ride with the group. He lost his leg in a motorcycle accident, and was fitted with a new leg only four days after losing his own after a two-week battle to save it. He has been an amputee for three years, but hasn’t let the disability stop him from enjoying life.

“I got to help my 3-year-old granddaughter learn how to ride a bike,” Summers said. “You can choose to get bitter or better. I chose to get better.”

The ride is in its fifth year of going across the country with its message of inspiration. Riders have crossed northern and midwestern parts of the country in the past, and are now in their southern state swing. Organizer Joe Sapere of Chesapeake, Va., has been on all five rides. He brings humor to the ride, along with showing people that they can achieve anything they want to.

Sapere was injured in a mid-air collision while sky diving in 2000. He makes light of his situation, but knows that the ride and the stops along the way are inspirational to other amputees and people in general.

“I tell people that I just fell into being an amputee,” Sapere said. “I lost my leg, but I didn’t lose my heart.”

It took Sapere only 10 months to return to sky diving. He founded Amputees Across America in 2002.

Along the country roads and highways, Sapere said that he has appreciated all of the support from passing motorists. The group was helped with a flat tire outside of Duncan, and has experienced support even as cars zip by.

“We get to touch a lot of lives on this ride,” Sapere said. “We get people honking their horns and waving all the time.”

Joining the ride as a guest, Stillwater’s Ron King continuously speaks as a mentor to other amputees.

“Limb loss doesn’t equal life loss,” King said. “It’s a life-changing event, but there are always life-changing events. It’s what you do to get over them.”

AJ Johnson is the lone female on the ride. She had elective below-knee surgery after being in a wheelchair for years following a car crash. Johnson is a second-grade teacher by trade, but has found time to inspire other amputees with her message of hope.

“Just because you have a physical difference, it doesn’t mean you can’t do something,” Johnson said. “I’m not a cyclist at all, but I’ve been able to bite off more than I can chew to try and help others.”

Not giving up on yourself, and not giving up on others is a message that the members of the group hope to convey to everyone who sees them riding their bikes.

“It is very important to get encouragement,” Summers said. “I met a lot of amputees in hospitals who didn’t get that encouragement. It’s just a lack of communication. If you don’t start from the beginning, then it takes a long time to get the motivation to get back into the life you had before the amputation.

“If I can give someone encouragement along this ride to get hope and to get better, that’s the mission I’ve got. It’s been great to be a part of this.”