I was
diagnosed and treated for a rare muscle tumor when I was 17. The cancer was so
rare that I was only the 7th person diagnosed with it and the first
person to ever survive it. I was sent to St.
Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis,
TN which is an awesome hospital
and I strongly recommend that you help support they hospital with donations or
fundraisers.
I spent 6
months in treatment and have been in remission since December of 1997. Eventually
the side effects of the radiation treatment set in and the scar tissue in the
radiation area set up like concrete. I reached the point where I couldn’t move
my left hip or knee. I walked with a very pronounce limp.
In March
2010, I broke my bad leg. My femur snapped where the good bone and the
irradiated bone met and the bad bone shattered into 3 pieces. Two years, ten
months, two surgeries, a bone graft and two titanium rods later (the first
non-slip rod slipped), and I am still on crutches and will be for the
foreseeable future.
The bone
started mending after the second surgery but the healing is slow due to the
poor circulation in the radiation area and also due to the poor condition of my
femur bone. The doc was shocked when what looked like dead bone started healer.
I guess it was just mostly dead. Thanks to God for the miracle of the human
body.
Here are 3 Tips
for folks with a disability that conceal carry:
Don’t Let
Someone Else Tell You What Is Best For You – talk to people, get opinions but
when it comes down to it, you need to carry what works for you. Don’t let
someone tell you that you should be carrying a .45 for the stopping power when
your arthritis will barely let you use a .22. The choice of a carry pistol has
to be what works best for you.
When is
comes to how you will carry concealed, you will need to figure out what works
best for you with that too. In your case, a lot of the recommended conceal carry techniques
and holsters may not work for you. Don’t let someone else tell you what is best
for you. You need to work it all out in a way that best suits your needs.
Practice Your Way –
Once you have the best method that fits your situation, practice, practice,
practice. This applies to everyone but more so to someone with a disability
that might impede their ability to draw their weapon. Sorry but that’s just the
way it is.
Don’t Carry
a Gun – I know that sounds radical but hear me out, if your disability doesn't allow you to draw or shoot your pistol or allows an attacker a more than
average chance of taking your pistol away from you, don’t carry one. You are responsible to be able to defend yourself and your loved ones. If your disability makes carrying a pistol a danger to others either by your inability to fire the weapon safely and accurately or by the potential of your weapon being used against others then you should seriously consider not carrying a pistol.
Instead, you could carry a knife and tactical flash light. In a pinch, those two items are quite
effective. I am not sure where I heard this saying but is has stuck with me (I
am paraphrasing): Someone can take a gun away from you without getting shot,
but no one can take a knife away from you without getting cut.
What do you
think? Anyone else have some tips that you want to add?
This post and its contents are the
views and opinions of the author only, and do not necessarily represent those
of Beretta.
