Slowed but not Stopped

Occasionally life throws a situation our way that only few others have experienced. And whether a triumph or tragedy, we often need the support of someone who's already traveled the uncertain road ahead to give us that push to go on.

NYPD Officer Eric Grimes received that very kind of inspiration as he came to from a surgery that removed his lower leg. The five-year veteran awoke to fellow Officer Rachid Elkadi at his bedside. Elkadi, also an amputee, came to let Grimes know that if he chose to, his life could go on nearly uninterrupted.

According to the NY Daily News Elkadi told Grimes, "You're not crippled. You are not handicapped. If you are, you've done it to yourself."

Grimes let out a sigh of relief, knowing that this misfortune wouldn't cost him his career. He told Elkadi, "I needed to see you." But Elkadi likely already knew that. After losing his own leg in an off-duty motorcycle accident in 2006, retired Detective Thomas Khoeler came to Elkadi's hospital bed to share his hope (he'd lost his leg in a 1994 gunfight). Hope may or may not float, but it's certainly contagious.

Photo courtesy of Herby Fr via Flickr.