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BIKER, continued from 21
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Best Senior Living Community
2012, 2011 & 2010 by the readers of Bethesda Magazine
Dr. Gary Wilks, MD
301-530-0500
www.MaplewoodParkPlace.com 9707 Old Georgetown Road • Bethesda, MD 20814 26 Gazette Health | Fall 2012
A GAZETTE PUBLICATION
MAPLEWOOD
Concierge Medical Service offered by Award-Winning Doctor
“My friend Glenn was doing everything he could to keep up my interest in the trip, keep me positive about it. But, after about six weeks, I thought, ‘There’s absolutely no way I can go.’ I was still one miserable person.” Barritt kept walking. His stamina increased and his outlook changed. He’d heard from others about a point “where you suddenly walk through a door and realize you’re no longer a heart patient. All of a sudden the curtain pulls back...On Memorial Day weekend it was like the sky cleared or I walked out of this cloud. I realized, ‘Hey, I am going to recover. It still hurts, but I’ll be OK.’” Recalling that, prior to the operation, his heart surgeon said there was no reason to cancel the trip, Barritt became determined to make the ride. He walked farther and picked up the pace. “Riding a motorcycle isn’t really that physically demanding, but, at the same time, it puts a fair amount of stress on the chest. I still wasn’t sure I could go.”
I could think words, but couldn’t get them out of my mouth. –Chris Barritt
In mid-June, Barritt took a test ride—to Vermont. “It was all pavement, no really hard riding, and I got up there without any adverse effects. That’s when I finally thought I could do it.” And, four months after his surgery, he did. Recently, Barritt took an even more demanding trip to Silverton, Colo., “mostly on back and dirt roads. The mountains in Colorado are especially challenging and there were a couple of moments—like when my bike slipped off the road and went down an embankment— that gave me pause. But after the surgery and all, this was an adventure I was glad I could enjoy.”