Talk about the adjustment period for you, first, losing your leg and then getting accustomed to the prosthetic leg. What was most difficult? BB: I was in the hospital for about a week surrounding the surgery to take the leg. And I say this all the time, but that’s because it’s true: That whole week was like a weird celebration. I had friends from all over the country come to be with me in the hospital. The nurses had to kick people out every night like it was closing time at a bar. Those friends took the worst experience of my life and actually turned it into something really beautiful. I’m so thankful for that. But, yeah, after I got home there were some dark times. I really had to mourn the loss of my leg. Grief takes time and I don’t like that. But being laid up like that forced me to deal with it all, which was necessary for my healing in every way. The worst part of it was phantom pain, which is very real and the worst part of my life, hands down. That got better but still shows up from time to time. In retrospect, it was all a pretty fast process: losing my leg Aug. 4, 2005, then starting to learn to walk again that October. All of that while still going through chemo. I’m really lucky. How soon were you performing again after the surgery? BB: I played one time at church probably four to six weeks after my surgery. No prosthetic leg yet. I had to use this hi-hat thing called a drop clutch and would open and close the hi-hat by pushing the pedal with a stick. This is lost on non-musicians, but I just found a way to make it work. Then on Thanksgiving 2005, Blackpool Lights played a show at Record Bar with the drummer who’d been filling in for me. I got up and played the last song of the night. My girlfriend at the time, and now wife [Allison], called it “passing back the torch to its rightful owner.” That was an emotional night. After that my first full show with the band was a couple months later on Valentine’s Day, and then we were back on tour in March. I could still barely walk, but I could play, and my band mates helped me load and set up my drums. It was so great. What do you think the general public
needs to be aware of regarding people with prosthetic limbs? Are there general misconceptions that need to be dispelled? BB: First off, I have a new friend named Wesley Hamilton who’s in a wheelchair. He once told me that when people see folks with a disability, they see what those people are missing, what they are less than, and we need to change that idea. For me, losing my leg changed the course of my life for the better, tenfold. Most importantly for prosthetics, I’d say misconceptions surround the need for them and access to them. My leg not only allows me to walk, it makes me feel normal. I don’t hide it, but having this leg effects how I feel in every way. That’s huge. It’s not just my mobility, which most of us take for granted. And also the fact that prosthetic limbs are expensive and many folks don’t have access to them due to no health insurance or terrible health insurance. I myself had massive struggles getting the leg I needed back in 2006. Prosthetic limbs and mobility are not a luxury, period. If the thing that’s holding someone back from walking is money, that’s ridiculous and far too common of an issue. In 2013, you turned your story into a noble mission: Steps of Faith, of which you are executive director and which provides prosthetics to people who otherwise would not be able to afford them. How many people has the foundation helped during your tenure there? BB: Steps of Faith is one of the best things to ever happen to me. I got right to work on April 1, 2013, and we’ve slowly been building it ever since. We have helped just over 250 people to date; 76 of those were just last year. We plan to help 100 people this year. What has your time at Steps of Faith taught you about amputees and the lives of people with prosthetic limbs? BB: That with the right tools, we can do anything. We can live, move, and thrive. I don’t think of myself as handicapped very often because I rarely feel handicapped. That’s all because I have the right tools. This leg is an amazing tool! Every amputee deserves access to the right tools. You started Thundergong in 2017 as an annual fundraiser for Steps of Faith. Your
APRIL 2019
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