Pursue Life Big.

Wow! Where to begin. Having just returned a few days ago from an endurance adventure race in Santa Barbara, California with Hanger Clinic ExoSym (IDEO) patient Dominique & the Project Athena Foundation, my legs are heavy but my heart is full. ☺ For 26 hours we kayaked, mountain biked and hiked over 74 miles and up 7K ft elevation gain – a truly incredible experience with amazing teammates! I am left wondering if there is truthfully anything the ExoSym (IDEO) cannot handle…

Most notably, I want to give an ExoSymplyAmazing shoutout to Dominique who not only KILLED it on the race (& I’m serious she rocked it!!), but handled it like a pro with so much passion and perseverance. There were multiple times in our 20 weeks of intense training (& during the long hours of the race itself) when she could have easily given up, but that’s not who Dominique is. She pressed on gaining strength and confidence along the way and I am so proud of her and the person she has become in this journey. I have no doubt this is only the beginning of many more adventures for her to come!  A reminder that the ExoSym program is a journey and every day is a new day to build upon the person that you are and always knew you could be.

My mission for you all is to really stop and think about a goal you have wanted to reach. It doesn’t need to be anything extraordinary but just start somewhere. I didn’t get my ExoSym in 2013 and set off to run a half-marathon or race for 24 hours.  I started from ground zero just like all of you who are getting your devices for the first time. It took time and a lot of hard work (& it still does!) but what I’ve found in these accomplishments isn’t the accolade of the feat itself, but the feeling I get knowing that with each new challenge I have raised the bar for myself and vision of what is possible. My hope is that you find strength in these stories to pursue life big. Pursue what you always knew you could. ♥

#beYOU #beAMAZING #ExoSymplyAMAZING