Hi! I’m Don and this is Copper and Luna. I believe in living life every day, so in April of 2020 I sold my house, my FJ Cruiser and almost everything I owned. I bought a truck and trailer, loaded my motorcycle in the back and started touring the country with my dogs, Copper and Luna. Sounds like fun…but there’s a catch. I’m disabled.
My journey unofficially started in 2014 when I crossed the finish line of Ironman Canada in Whistler, BC. Physically I struggled, mentally it was a big win. A year later I would be diagnosed with a severe birth defect in my heart and told I should have died awhile ago. Over the next 6 years I would have 7 heart procedures (two open heart), 2 strokes, a heart attack, cardiac arrest resulting in a near death experience, bilateral pulmonary embolisms (bad, very bad) and a whole slew of other complications that left me in and out of hospitals. You can check my math, but by my calculations my odds of survival are just 1 in 27,000.
The same week I learned of my heart condition I figured out I would be getting a divorce. It was very, very ugly. The disability ending my career was just the icing on the cake.
My two sons helped me get through everything. I raised them on my own until officially becoming an empty nester when my youngest left for the University of Michigan as a Junior. My oldest son has moved off to Kansas City for work. That was the signal to get moving myself.
Don’t get me wrong. I have very bad days when my heart won’t let me get out of bed. My doctors, through my pacemaker, tell me I average 11 events per day. Some are a lot worse than others. That’s my reality. But I have good days, too, and I am living them. The way I look at it, I’m living on bonus time.
A big part of my survival was learning how to adapt. Fortunately improvements in technology are making this journey possible for me. Without the cameras, sensors and automations I’d never be able to make this trip.
This blog is to document the journey of this stage of my life. I’ll try to share some lessons learned, show you cool nuggets located all around this great country and hopefully get you to laugh a little bit while I’m doing it. My hope is that any of you going through difficult times, facing divorce, health issues, career challenges, or any other myriad of problems might find hope, guidance, or anything that might help you get through to a better life.
Thank you for becoming a part of my journey.
Don
P.S. All of these pictures are mine from my travels, including the banners. On the rare occasion I use one that isn’t I will be sure to call it out.
