It
took him until September 2005, but finally he finished
as the first above‑the‑knee amputee to navigate
the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. Over the
last three years we've become good friends, and call each
other at least once a month.
Rogers
became an amputee after a 1998 hunting accident. To hike,
he uses a high‑tech Otto Bock “Computer Leg” replete
with microprocessors, sensors and hydraulics that help
his left “bionic” knee swing and stand.
Over
the years, Rogers' life experiences have greatly softened
a heart that used to be callous toward people with disabilities.
He and wife Leisa have seven children; now they are in the
process of adopting a little boy who has multiple disabilities.
“Most
people (when adopting) want the perfect child,” said Rogers
in a telephone interview. “They want ten fingers and ten
toes. They want their child to have the ability to understand
when you tell them you love them and the ability to respond
back. You can see pictures on the Internet of these (ready‑to‑adopt)
children with special needs and wonder why so many have
been turned over to the system just because they're deaf,
can't walk or have cerebral palsy, for instance. It just
breaks your heart.”
He
urged people not to condemn anyone giving up special needs
children for adoption, saying the biological parents in
many cases don't have sufficient maturity, the skill sets
or resources to raise a disabled child. Not everyone can
parent a special needs child, he said.
“But
my wife was a special education teacher for ten years,”
said Rogers. “As for me, prior to my hunting accident, I
didn't pay any attention at all to the kids in her class.
But afterwards, I realized I was not that different from
them.”
He
and his wife have been trying to adopt a 4‑year‑old
deaf boy who can't walk. “And the more we hear about him,
the more we love him,” Rogers added.
For
more, see danieljvance.com
or www.ninds.nih.gov.
This column made possible by a grant from Blue Valley Sod,
www.bluevalleysod.com
