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Losing my leg, opinions wanted


gusto

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Well it's been a rough two weeks. I have just been diagnosed with bone cancer and on Jan 8th they will be cutting off my L leg about 8 in above the knee. So my wife and I will be saving for an Ottobock prosthetic leg. About 100k. I'm 42 with my 5th kid on the way, I need to stay alive.

My banshee is in parts on the garage floor, I was hoping to have it ready for Feb ice races. I guess my question is would you guys keep it and hope that one day with a new leg you'll be back to riding or part it out and get some cash? It has a new Redline 4 mil stocker motor, brand new in box Fireball LT suspension and stem, new elka in box, snipers and CPI pipes, and tons of other new stuff sitting around. Don't need no sympathy just a simple sell it or keep it. The kid in me wants to keep it and hopefully ice race next season, the reality might be totally different thing though.

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Wow. Terrible news. However, that's a decision you'll have to make brother. Hope all goes well, its a succesful surgery, and your recover quickly. Good luck and godspeed. Life is just so crazy.

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Best of luck to you Gusto!!! Take care of yourself and your family, you can always get back into the quad game after you address your health!!! If you decide to part it please consider me for the Fireball suspension and Elkas. My thoughts & prayers are with you for a successful leg procedure! Email me if you want to sell me those parts I mentioned.. Thank you- Mike

 

ammarca@optonline.net

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Part it out, save the scratch and buy yourself a badass prosthetic that'll enable you to ride another day!!

You can always build another Banshee, you can't build another you!!

Take care of yourself first so you can take care of your family!!

Godspeed brother!!

Keep your chin up!!

I can't even imagine the emotions!!

Take care and keep us posted.

And don't let any of these cheap bastards lowball you!!

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Part it out, save the scratch and buy yourself a badass prosthetic that'll enable you to ride another day!!

You can always build another Banshee, you can't build another you!!

Take care of yourself first so you can take care of your family!!

Godspeed brother!!

Keep your chin up!!

I can't even imagine the emotions!!

Take care and keep us posted.

And don't let any of these cheap bastards lowball you!!

This

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Thanks for the advice and encouragement. More meetings this week and I will find out just what kind of money will be coming out of my pocket for the prosthetic. I have been paying for extended benefits through work and I work for the government up here in Canada, I'm sure I am better off than most people going through this. I am hearing possibly 50% of the leg is covered and maybe even all of it depending on who I talk to. Wouldn't that be nice.

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Gusto, sorry to hear the news. It sounds like you have accepted your fate and are already pro actively trying to situate your future. That said, I dissagree with everybody. If what you have is already bought and paid for, there is no sense in offloading it for pennies on the dollar. In the grand scheme of things selling one of the few things that makes you happy is just another let down. Remember, once this happens, money is gonna be tight. So even if you do change your mind and decide you want back on an ATV, it probably won't happen due to your financial alone. Not to mention the down time you will have when all this goes down. There will be times when you need to occupy your mind when there is nobody around to keep you positive. Wrenching on a bike is already an activity that you know you enjoy and you will still be able to enjoy. Just get a stool/seat on wheels and a decent bike lift and you are golden.

 

You would be surprised at the amount of people who competitively race and have some pretty extreme physical disabilities. I personally ice race with a guy who is paralyzed from the waist down and he is pretty quick. There are ways to set the machine up so that you can continue to enjoy it. When I shattered my left leg there was a possibility that they were gonna take it off from the knee down so one of the first things I did was start researching what/how guys are setting up bikes and Atv's for disabled riders. With the right parts you can do all the shifting from the bars, or even set up a prosthetic that can work with the shifter. If you can move what they leave behind you can make it work.

 

I honestly think you should try and make it work first. Because it will be healthy to have motivation and a reason to push your self. (Kids are motivation as well, but you need something for you as well) Worst case scenario, you try and make it work and it's to much. Then you can sell it. Just don't jump the gun and wish you hadn't.

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Thanks Tricked, thats the way i have been looking at it also. I remember (i think it was you) saying that someone on this forum had developed an air device to change gears.  It can be done!  My insurance, provincial government, and war amps will be taking care of a lot of the cost.  I just dont know what im paying for yet.

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Get everything situated, get that leg, run a marathon on it then build your banshee up and ride that bitch. Best of luck to you in surgery, sorry to hear this has happened to you. Keep your head up, don't let this stop you from doing anything!

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