It’s strange to say this out loud, but after almost seven years as an amputee, I genuinely don’t remember what it feels like to walk on two legs. What makes that even stranger is that I walked on two legs for 28 years of my life. You would think something that natural, that familiar, would stay etched into memory forever. But it hasn’t — and honestly, that realization doesn’t feel sad or wrong. It feels… human.
Our brains have incredible ways of helping us survive and adapt. When life throws us into circumstances we never planned for, our minds quietly begin rewriting our normal. At first, after losing my leg, everything felt unfamiliar. Every movement required thought. Every step felt like learning how to exist all over again. But over time, what once felt impossible slowly became routine.
Now, my prosthetic isn’t something I constantly think about. It’s simply part of how I move through the world. The memory of walking on two legs hasn’t disappeared in a dramatic or emotional way — it has just faded, like an old photograph left in the sun too long. I remember that I could do it, but I don’t remember how it felt in my body.
And that fascinates me.
I think there is something incredibly powerful about the brain’s ability to protect us by helping us focus on what is instead of what was. If we held onto every comparison between our past abilities and our current reality, it would be much harder to move forward. Adaptation isn’t just physical — it’s deeply mental and emotional too.
Living with a disability has taught me that resilience doesn’t always look like pushing harder or refusing to acknowledge change. Sometimes resilience is acceptance. It’s allowing yourself to evolve into a new version of normal without feeling like you’ve lost who you were before.
I am still the same person who loved the outdoors, adventure, and challenges. I still chase goals, raise my family, build my business, and dream bigger than I probably should some days. The path just looks different now, and that difference has shaped me in ways I never expected.
If anything, losing the memory of walking on two legs has reminded me of how adaptable humans truly are. We are built to adjust, to relearn, and to keep moving forward — sometimes in ways we never imagined possible.
Seven years ago, I thought I was losing a part of my life. In many ways, I was. But I was also gaining perspective, strength, and a deeper understanding of what it means to redefine normal.
And today, this is my normal. And it’s still a beautiful life.