Extremely Talented

The Santa Cruz Sentinel recently had a feature on paddleboard racer Jeff Denholm, who competed in a 32-mile race from Molokai to Oahu.

The seasoned sailor had his arm mangled 18 years ago in a fishing accident. Now he uses a removable paddle as a prosthetic.

Not long after he left the hospital, the Maine native was firming up plans to move to the Rockies, where he could ski and hike. To expedite his return to water sports, Denholm even ripped the staples out of his healing wound himself.

But returning wasn't enough. He still wanted to "hammer," as he likes to say, charging as hard as humanly possible, challenging his innermost limits. Soon he found himself designing artificial limb attachments for surfing, climbing, sailing and mountain biking.

I never cease to be amazed at the determination and perseverance allegedly "crippled" people use to make their lives so much more amazing than "normal" people.