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Coping With Catastrophic Injury
1k Plays4 years ago
"Other people’s fears cannot get the best of us.” -Tami Goodrich. In this episode of the Uphill Athlete Podcast, Scott Johnston is joined by husband and wife team, Sean and Tami Goodrich, coached by Carolyn Parker. In September of 2019, Sean had a life-threatening climbing accident that jeopardized the entire fabric of their life, goals, and livelihood. Join Scott, Sean, Tami, and Carolyn as they discuss this harrowing story and how they have moved forward and supported Sean’s unflinching desire to climb again.
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Transcript
Introduction to Uphill Athlete
00:00:01
Speaker
Welcome to the Uphill Athlete Podcast. These programs are just one of several free services we provide to disseminate information about training for mountain sports. If you like what you hear and want more, please check out our website, uphillathlete.com, where you'll find many articles and our extensive video library on all aspects of training for and accomplishing a variety of mountain goals. You'll also find our forum, where you can ask questions of our experts and the community at large.
00:00:30
Speaker
Our email is coach at uphillathlete.com and we'd love to hear from you.
Guest Introductions and Sean's Climbing Accident
00:00:38
Speaker
Welcome everyone to the next episode of the Uphill Athlete podcast. I'm Scott Johnston, your host, and I'm the co-founder of Uphill Athlete with Steve House.
00:00:50
Speaker
And today we're going to be speaking with one of our main coaches, Carolyn Parker, as well as Tammy and Sean Goodrich. And we're going to be talking about a significant life-changing event that
00:01:07
Speaker
I think especially Tammy and Sean have gone through in the past year regarding a climbing accident that Sean had that was nearly fatal and how they coped with it, how he's recovered, Tammy's role in support and in supporting Sean, and then Carolyn's interaction with them
00:01:27
Speaker
Part of the reason I wanted to bring these three people together and have this conversation with them is that I think it's a very heroic struggle that the three of them have combined forces to get Sean and Tammy through this. And we all know, even if we don't want to talk about it,
00:01:47
Speaker
that climbing is dangerous. And this can happen to anybody. I mean, anybody who's been around this thing as long as someone like Carolyn or myself has, have lost a number of friends and certainly seen quite a few others injured.
00:02:01
Speaker
and learning how to cope and deal with that or at least hearing other people's stories of how they have had to cope and come to grips with it and how they've moved on, I think can be really valuable to the community as a whole. So I'm really happy and pleased that they were willing to come here and maybe expose some of their soft underbelly a little bit. I think that's a, it can be a hard thing to do.
00:02:25
Speaker
But thank you again, Tammy and Sean and Carolyn for taking the time out of your afternoon to do this.
Sean's Climbing Journey and Passion
00:02:33
Speaker
So let me start with this by talking with Sean or asking, Sean, I want to know from you something about your climbing background before we get into the actual accident and maybe how you got into climbing
00:02:51
Speaker
what drives you or drove you. I'm sure you're still driven in the same way. And then again, how you came in contact with uphill athlete and what's because, you know, Carol, I know has played a very instrumental part in this, in this past year, working with you guys. So Sean, why don't you start us off with some of those background details? Sure. Well, I got into climbing through my wife, believe it or not, it was
00:03:21
Speaker
I don't even remember how long ago it was. Do you remember how long ago it was? About 24 years ago. 24 years ago? So 24 years ago, Tammy and I, maybe it was even our first date. We were living in Bloomington, Indiana. I was a student there and Tammy was teaching.
00:03:49
Speaker
I was an old student. I didn't take the traditional college route through school. And we went on our first date to the local climbing gym and I loved it. It was just the, it's like moving meditation. It felt like, you know, you
00:04:11
Speaker
Everything drops away, you know, you're just focused on moving to the next hold and that's, you have no other thoughts I just, I love that part of it I love the adventure.
00:04:25
Speaker
From there, I just started to like research it and talking to people at the gym and just realizing that, well, there's sport climbing and there's tread climbing and there's mountaineering and all of this. And I was almost at one point, it was unhealthy how obsessed I was with climbing. And remember, we lived in Indiana. I remember talking to Steve and he called Indiana the hotbed of alpinism. I thought that was so funny.
00:04:56
Speaker
So, you know, it was like an unhealthy obsession with climbing. I still remember watching, this is pre social media. There wasn't a lot of climbing information on the internet. So I would watch these video tapes on ice climbing and VHS tapes for all you people who actually remember what a VHS tape is. It was just, you know, I was just, I love climbing.
00:05:22
Speaker
I first started with trad climbing, or I actually first started with sport climbing, but that didn't last very long. I went right into trad, you know, like leading up really easy trad routes. And then eventually came in, I got married, our honeymoon, we got married in California, it was a destination wedding, and we actually honeymooned in Yosemite. And that was my first time climbing outside was in Yosemite.
00:05:49
Speaker
That was the first time both of us climbed outside, was in Yosemite.
Transition and Challenges in Climbing
00:05:52
Speaker
I mean, we had a guide, but still it was, you know, everything after that was just like a total letdown, you know, in Yosemite. Beyond that, you know, I did take a break from climbing there for a while when my daughter was born.
00:06:14
Speaker
Going back, you know, when we lived in Indiana, we would climb mostly in the Red River Gorge. That's where I did most of my climbing, because it was maybe like four hours away. So you can go for a long weekend and get in a lot of climbing. But eventually my daughter was born and I kind of got away from it. And we eventually ended up in Maine and I
00:06:42
Speaker
quit my job where I was working for like eight years and started my own business. And I had time at that point, something I didn't have for a long time. And I'm like, I'm just going to get back in the climbing. And by then, I had done some ice climbing and some other things. But now I live in Maine and New Hampshire is a couple hours away, some of the best ice climbing in the country.
00:07:09
Speaker
So I'm like, well, I'm going to do this. I'm going to get into it again. But I'm like, I'm in terrible shape. And I had some big goals. I wanted to climb in Alaska, do some big alpine routes. And I just didn't know how to prepare myself for that. So I did some web searches. And that's when I found an uphill athlete. I'm like, this is
Details of the Climbing Accident
00:07:36
Speaker
perfect. This is exactly what I'm looking for.
00:07:38
Speaker
You know, it was a company that, you know, you can find a personal trainer, but this, this is, it was a company that focused on mountain athletes. And that's exactly what I wanted to be. So, you know, from there I filled out all the paperwork and they assigned me a trainer and it's, and it's Carolyn.
00:08:02
Speaker
I think you're lucky. I mean, we have a lot of great coaches, but Carolyn is a standout and I'm really excited that you ended up working with her, especially given the circumstances that have occurred since you signed up. How long were you working with Carolyn before the accident? A year, maybe? Did that sound right, Carolyn? Three? No way.
00:08:28
Speaker
Oh, I haven't been coaching that within that long. Yeah. I think it was, it was a year, uh, maybe a year and a couple of months. We've been over two years now that we've been working together. So it should have been about a year and a few months. I think we started. Yeah. I think one of the things that I'm sure both of your, all three of you would agree on, and I certainly see it is that when you worked with somebody for a year,
00:08:58
Speaker
You form, the coach athlete relationship is a rather intimate one. And you become intimately involved in people's lives. You kind of need to. So you need to know when they're struggling with or the days when they're tired. And I think that by the time you've worked with someone for a year, that relationship is pretty solid. And I think had this accident happened in your first second week,
00:09:26
Speaker
I know Carolyn would have still gone to great lengths to be of assistance to you, but I don't think that connection would have been there as strongly as it was. And I think that's one of the things that really provided, helped provide the support that you both needed was that you were like a small family in a way. I mean, having coached a lot of people for many years now,
00:09:49
Speaker
I find that that coach-athlete relationship is a really special one because of the amount of trust that has to go into it and openness. And I think that that's what makes it work. If that relationship is not at that level, then the coaching isn't going to work nearly as well. So Sean, when was this accident and where? Can you tell us a little bit about that?
Immediate Aftermath and Medical Journey
00:10:17
Speaker
Well, the accident was last September on the 8th. First off, I'd like to say, you know, Carolyn, she was my coach, but she is like a friend, like a really good friend. Yeah. Yeah. I would, I would. Well, we hear that a lot. And I, and I, I know that's true. We hear that a lot about a lot of our coaches. And, and it's, again, that goes back to that, the depth of this relationship, I think, how, and how important it is.
00:10:45
Speaker
Oh, I was going to say, Tammy's probably going to say what I was going to say. Jump in there, Tammy. Well, I knew Carolyn. So Sean has never had a coach and whenever he reached out and told me it was Scott and Steve house, I'm like, what are you freaking joking me? Dad company. Wow. You're jumping into the big leagues. So, um, I thought it was great. I've, I've had coaches throughout my, um,
00:11:13
Speaker
business and athletics. Though there is a time when Sean was laying in bed, skipping his workouts, and Carolyn was his coach, and I'm getting up and going swimming, and I'm out the door at 5.30 in the morning, and all of a sudden I hear him cracking up laughing.
00:11:33
Speaker
And I go into the bed and I said, what's up? Like Carolyn told me, just texted and said, pull on your big boy britches and get up and do it. And I thought, wow, that is the perfect coach. So Carolyn really knows when to kick it in gear, you know, through humor, through, um,
00:11:56
Speaker
you know, conversation, motivation, you know, she really, and I get to talk to her like face to face right here, which is pretty cool. It's, it's incredible how she matches exactly where we need to be, you know, as my husband, myself, her being my coach also, and then as a partnership between Sean and I.
00:12:19
Speaker
in doing workouts together, too. So I just, I was a little resistant and I just can't ever imagine it being different now. That's nice to hear. I know that. Carolyn, was that what you thought she was going to say? Pretty much. And sort of tying together how, how timing it into this was,
00:12:40
Speaker
after one of those interactions or a couple of them. And she's observing how Sean's doing and pull your big boy pants up. So she wanted to work with me too. But Tammy's connection wasn't directly like alpinism or climbing. She's like, well, if Sean likes working with you so much, I think I'd like to. And so we became a family. It was awesome. So that was that connection, which is why we're all
00:13:11
Speaker
sitting here today having this conversation. Your sports, besides climbing, has been triathlon primarily, right? It has been, yes, the last few years. And you've had some triathlon coaches, or at least one, it sounds like. I've had two, yes. And are you still doing triathlons?
00:13:31
Speaker
Um, that is the goal to get back into it. I recently had a hip surgery right after Sean's accident. And we're going to hear about that more later. Sean today. Well, no, I think I want to hear about that because I think that's a really.
00:13:48
Speaker
I mean, that's what part of what makes us such a powerful story. But I don't want to give away the ending until we hear Sean lay out some of the other details, and then you can come in and knock us dead with your story, because I think it's really incredible. So Sean, back to the accident. So it was on September 8th, and where were you climbing? We were climbing on Cathedral Ledge in New Hampshire. I had had some tendonitis in my elbow.
00:14:17
Speaker
So I had taken a break from climbing, just trying to rest it and recover. Overall, though, I was probably in the best shape of my life. I mean, there's no doubt. I had just gotten back from doing Reneer and Baker. And they didn't really feel that hard. I mean, I felt like I was in great shape. I think I went for like a 13-mile run the day before my accident.
00:14:47
Speaker
So, you know, I, I, so anyway, we're climbing on a cathedral ledge. We're doing a, so since I haven't climbed in a while, we were doing this a pretty easy route. It was, it's fun house to upper, and then the last bit is upper refuse. So the fun house is like a five seven and upper refuse is a five five. So pretty, pretty easy stuff. I mean, fun house, we just cruised right up, no problems. So, and then you get to this big ledge.
00:15:16
Speaker
And then the guide book said upper refuge is a right leaning crack. So we get to the top and there's this right leaning crack. And it looked really easy. It had this like really easy ramp. So I'm like, Oh, that's, that toy looks five, five. Um, so I'm like, all right, let's do it. So my client partner, he doesn't really leave trad. So I was leading, but I figured it was a five, five. I mean, we just came up with five, seven. How are you to five, five going to be? Um,
00:15:46
Speaker
So I start climbing, and it started getting hard. And I do remember the ramp kind of disappeared. It started to become more vertical, and it was more of like an undercling. And you're smearing, and the feet were starting to disappear. And I can see why it's, the reality is, we were on retaliation. We were on the wrong route.
00:16:15
Speaker
And there was a point where I was up there and I'm like, this doesn't, I remember saying to my partner, I'm like, this doesn't feel like a five, five. Cause it wasn't. It wasn't. It was a five, nine. And, um, I, yeah, I mean, it's notorious. Apparently this has happened more than once. I'm not the first person to have this, make this mistake.
00:16:43
Speaker
Um, so anyway, I keep climbing and I'm not putting in much gear because honestly, that part's really tricky. And I don't know, I, I look back on it and I asked myself, why was I not putting in, why didn't I not put in more gear? And I don't know the answer to that. You know, I just, I wasn't thinking, I, I, I really don't have an answer. It's, I, I,
00:17:11
Speaker
I think about it, not all the time, but every time I think about the action, I'm like, if I had just put in one camp, that's all it took, right? And I had times where I could have put one in. But anyway, I keep climbing and I get to a point where I remember saying falling. And even at that moment, I wasn't scared. I didn't realize what I had done to myself.
00:17:40
Speaker
And I fell, and I didn't hit the ledge where we started. I hit an upper ledge. It was, you know, I think it was just like a perfect storm. It was me being careless, and it was the fact that it was a right-leaning crack, and it basically
00:18:06
Speaker
I don't think I would have decked where we started, but the fact that it was right leaning and then there was another ledge, I just wasn't aware. I wasn't aware that that ledge was there. I wasn't paying attention. And yeah, so I decked or I hit the ledge and I knew I could still move my feet. I was definitely not,
00:18:35
Speaker
Well, obviously I wasn't walking out of there. I, but at that point it was, everything was in my partner's hands. Um, luckily there was actually people on that ledge and they came over right away. And at that point, I don't really remember a whole lot. You know, the litter showed up. Um, it apparently took him four hours to get me off the mountain off the cliff. You know, it was a, it was a.
00:19:03
Speaker
You know they had to lower me to another. ledge I do kind of remember that like I was literally like. In the litter and they were just lowering me down, you know. And then they had to carry me out, so the whole thing took four hours there was probably 20 people there apparently that I mean I don't really remember that but that's what they told me.
00:19:27
Speaker
Those rescues tend to involve a lot of people. So yes, I don't doubt it. There were 20. Luckily, you weren't in some remote setting and there were a lot of people around. But even then, it was just a four hour ordeal. Yeah, I mean, I look back and if it wasn't for my training, I probably would be dead. I mean, I really do think it's my fitness that saved my life. Yeah, wouldn't be surprised. Yeah.
00:19:54
Speaker
And so Tammy, how did you get word of this whole thing happening? What was your first intimation that something was wrong? Well, it's really funny because Sean and I have such a great relationship in respecting each other's sports. So whenever I'm out training or if I'm doing my triathlon, he knows like I'm not answering the phone. We are, we are fully present and
00:20:20
Speaker
whenever he's on the mountain, whether he's gone for a few hours or it could be nine days. I know not to expect a call from him because I want him to be fully present. He needs to be fully present. As I was a climber, if your mind isn't there, you could slip very easily. So I got a call. So I'm a real estate agent. I'm doing an open house.
00:20:49
Speaker
And I get a call as soon as I'm wrapping things up and it's Sean's phone number. And I pick it up and I say, what is it? Is it hailing on the mountain? You coming down? What's up? That was my joking response. And it was his climbing partner, Aaron. And Aaron was very just kind of monotoned and said, Tammy, Sean's had a very bad fall.
00:21:19
Speaker
You need to get here. And where was here? Here was in North Conway in New Hampshire. So I was in Brunswick, Maine at the time. So I would have to gather my things. Now, Sean has fallen. He's fallen before. I know the drill. I go home. I pack an overnight bag.
00:21:42
Speaker
I take care of my daughter, see where she's going to be. I get in the car and I know that he's probably going to go in for surgery the next day because he's broken things before. I know that drill. I had no idea what I was walking into and I had such no idea. I hadn't eaten that day and I had a friend who actually ended up driving me so that way I could drive his car back. We stopped for ice cream.
00:22:07
Speaker
I'm like, I need to
Injuries and Surgeries
00:22:08
Speaker
eat. Let's get some ice cream. I haven't heard anything. I don't know if he's down off the mountain yet. Um, and I actually, it took me, um, three hours to get there in total and he still had not made it to ER at that point in time. So, um, Sean remembers it being four hours to get off the mountain. It actually ended up taking five, 40 different volunteers.
00:22:33
Speaker
Um, um, people that came around the mountain heard about it and scrambled around the mountain to help out. And, uh, so that was really incredible. And whenever he finally got to ER, um, I, I believe in climbing. I, I really do. Um, I used to manage teaching assistants back in Indiana.
00:22:59
Speaker
And I take them climbing because they were so wrapped up into finals and stressed out. And I would take them climbing. And as Sean said, everything falls away. I mean, you're risking falling. Everything has to fall away. It is the best meditation to clear your mind. So I believe in that. So as soon as I walked in and I saw how gray he was, and there are rocks all over the floor, they literally
00:23:28
Speaker
took a knife and scissors and just tore everything off his body, his backpack, and there are rocks everywhere. And there's probably eight people around him, younger, paramedics, everyone around him. And because we're in North Conway, I went and asked like, who are climbers? And I would say 75% of them are climbers.
00:23:54
Speaker
And I didn't know Sean's fate that night. And I didn't even think that he might die because why would you think that? I just, I said, no matter what happens tonight, you do not let the husband's accident stop you from climbing. I just want everyone to know that. Coming from his wife here.
00:24:20
Speaker
And then I asked the doctor, so what do you see? And they started going through the list of this. And at that time, the injuries, it's really funny. And this is where ignorance is bliss. They said broken neck, broken neck, broken compound, elbow. I mean, his elbow completely blew out. There's blood everywhere from that.
00:24:48
Speaker
shattered his pelvis, shattered his sacrum. And the last thing, so in my mind, I'm going through saying, okay, fixable, fixable. Okay, broken neck, that can be fixed. Broken back, that can be fixed. We don't know what the outcome is, but that's fixable, broken elbow, fixable. So I was going through that. And then the last thing that they mentioned was a torn aorta.
00:25:11
Speaker
Now, in my mind, any time you say the word torn, it is a muscle. And why in the hell are you telling me about a torn muscle whenever we're talking about broken backs, broken bones, ribs, pelvis, and so forth? So I had no idea that an aorta is a pretty critical muscle in your heart that was torn. And he had been bleeding out. So it was a class, Shawna, what was that?
00:25:41
Speaker
Class three, I think. Class three tear. So class four is just a complete rip and you're going to bleed out within minutes. He had a class three tear. Um, so things were still intact, but barely. And he was still bleeding out though. And this is where I think this comes back to, uh, Carolyn up, uphill athletes is we were trained for within our heart rate zone. Hey.
00:26:10
Speaker
And if his heart rate was beating faster, he would have bled out. He was minutes from bleeding out. And literally, if we would not have had trained and complain as much as we did to Carolyn saying, we were doing the Everest walk up the mountain. Why can't we go faster just to stay in the heart?
00:26:38
Speaker
I'm like, Sean, I need to slow down because we would have date workouts. And that's the other great thing about, um, both having Carolyn as our, uh, as our coach, she would literally put a workout every week for us together hiking. And I was like, Sean, I've got to slow down. Heart rate's getting too high. And we had accommodates. So, um, going back to that night, it was, um, so North Conway, they literally put their hands up and said, this is a multi-trauma. We need to fly you.
00:27:08
Speaker
And what they told me was he's going to be much more comfortable if we helicopter him in to Maine Med than to take an ambulance, which made a lot of sense, all the broken bones. Still yet, I had no idea what his fate could have been that day.
00:27:27
Speaker
And what they did do was pull aside Aaron, his climbing partner, and my good friend, Carol, and asked them how stable I was because they were trying to get me on the helicopter ride because they did not... Sean had a 50-50 shot to making it to Maine Med. He could have bled out on the helicopter ride. So they pulled over, pulled aside my two friends, asked how stable I was emotionally. And if something were to happen to Sean,
00:27:57
Speaker
Would the pilot be in danger of me losing it?
00:28:01
Speaker
They reassured him, and so I got the best helicopter ride of my life, the only one so far. I mean, it was amazing. Whenever your ignorance is bliss, because Sean was getting doped up with morphine in the back of the helicopter, and I had my headset on, and I was like, Sean, this is amazing. We can see the Saco River. I wish we could see this. Look at Mount Washington. Yeah.
00:28:27
Speaker
Um, so, and it wasn't until the, we landed the pilot then said, Tammy, I want you to hold his hands. We're coming in as soon as he's going to be met by four teams. They will separate you if you are not holding onto him. So we re we willed in. And once again, I turned to every single team member.
00:28:55
Speaker
And I said, his first question, Sean's first question is going to be, am I going to be able to climb again? And I told them, your answer is going to be yes. That is the correct answer. Your answer is going to be yes, he can climb again. And so, sorry, this is a little emotional.
00:29:27
Speaker
And then his heart doctor came in and they started working on him right away and Sean came to and his first question out of his mouth was, doctor, am I going to be able to climb again? And he looked at Sean's square in the eye and he said, my one job tonight is to keep you alive.
00:29:55
Speaker
And at that point, we understood what everything meant up to that point. So, um, Sean to me, you know, is one of the first time Sean had tears in his eyes. He doesn't cry often and Sean's not scared ever. He is certainly a rock. Um, and he told me he was scared at that point in time.
Recovery and Resilience
00:30:21
Speaker
And they were prepping him for surgery right away because they needed to put a stent in his heart in the aorta to save his life. And me being who I am, I said, Sean, just think positively. Surround yourself by loving white light.
00:30:41
Speaker
And then he turns to me minutes later from him being scared and said, I'm good. I'm good. I'm going to be just fine. I said, Sean, please do this one thing for me. Because at that point, I knew that might have been the last time I saw him.
00:30:58
Speaker
It could be that morphine was talking too. Having had morphine on a number of occasions after bad accidents myself, I can tell you that you suddenly feel like, oh yeah, there's no problem. My leg is not broken. I'm good. I can walk out of here. Morphine's an amazing thing, but that's a wonderful story and yeah, wow. It's very emotional.
00:31:22
Speaker
And so how long, Sean, were you, or maybe you don't even remember, how long were you, how many surgeries did you have? How long did you end up staying in the hospital? Oh, this I do remember. So the, okay, the first, I mean, I remember, I remember going in for all the surgeries. I remember going in for the, for the, my heart surgery. I remember, and then I remember after that, you know, I'm sitting in the, in the, um,
00:31:54
Speaker
Was it the intensive care unit or whatever? Yeah. And then they're planning my next one. So they were more concerned about my elbow than my pelvis initially, because my elbow was a compound fracture. So they were worried about infection. And like, all right, well, we're prepping you for that surgery. And you don't know if we're going to be able to do your pelvis at the same time. Like, oh no, please do my pelvis. Because that was the worst.
00:32:23
Speaker
of everything that happened to me. I mean, obviously the heart, my aorta tear was what almost killed me. But as far as I was concerned, my pelvis was the worst. I mean, I literally could not move myself at all. I was basically stationary in bed. If I wanted to just shift a little bit, I couldn't. And so they told me, you know, they're going to try to do both at the same time. And I'm like, no, you have to do both.
00:32:53
Speaker
Because I didn't want to have to go through one and then go through a third. And so luckily, they were able to do it all at the same time. I don't know how long. That was a long surgery, I'm pretty sure. That started at 7 o'clock in the morning. So our daughter, we brought our daughter in to see Sean because they didn't know if the heart stent would stay put. And that was the risk walking into the second day of surgeries. So we rushed her in to see Sean.
00:33:24
Speaker
And then he went into surgery around 7 a.m. And then he did not get out until about 3 p.m. that day. And the only way that they would agree to go into the pelvis surgery is if his heart would stabilize. And once again, I'm going to circle back around. Heart conditioning was critical on that second day also. So these first two days, our training pulled through for us.
00:33:54
Speaker
And that's how we could get through on the, you know, by the end of the second day, we found out that he came through successfully and that there was some blood clotting in his neck, but there was no neck break, which was a huge, I mean, those were huge wins in that day.
00:34:17
Speaker
And you have a pretty significant amount of hardware in you now, don't you, including a bolt that runs clear across your pelvis, Sean? Um, yeah, actually we have, um, three, three, three bolts that they're, they're about that big. They're big. And then there's a plate, you know, your pelvis is like a, a bowl. Yeah. And in the bottom there's like a plate that, um,
00:34:44
Speaker
that holds it together. That plate is actually broken now, which my orthopedic surgeon has reassured me that that is normal. It was a little concerning when I saw the x-ray and it was actually that that plate had snapped. I mean, your pelvis is made to move at the bottom. I don't know how to really explain it, but your pelvis is not just a stationary
00:35:13
Speaker
Um, bone there, there is a little bit of movement in there. And so that's, that's broken. And I have some other hardware from other surgeries. So yeah, I have a little bit of hardware and where to go. Yeah. I can imagine. You're the bionic man now. And so Carolyn, how did you get wind of this whole thing? Um, well, I don't know if, if Tammy remembers, uh, she,
00:35:43
Speaker
She called me after she got word and I was right by my phone, called her text, I should look back on that, as she was driving. And the message I got was that Sean's had a bad climbing accident. I'm not even really sure what to do, how to handle all the pieces, I'm en route. And so from there, when I finally reconnected with my phone, I was maybe on a
00:36:12
Speaker
bike ride or run, it was a couple hours. I called her, texted her immediately back and at that point she had gotten the information. They were at the hospital at the ER and she ran down the list, texted me the list of injuries. I was like, how are you doing? What's going on? Do we need to talk? And she was kind of in the midst of it. She's like, no, I don't think I need to talk. I'm good. Here's what we're doing. And I have a,
00:36:42
Speaker
in the grand scheme of things, just a little bit of a medical training background in the sense that I was an EMT, a wilderness EMT a long time ago. So of course, enough knowledge clinically beyond training. And another significant piece is my husband is a flight medic. So he is the person that was in the helicopter basically saving Sean's life in transport. So they went down the list and I saw aortic terror. And I was like, oh no, I didn't say that to Tammy.
00:37:11
Speaker
uh i just saw it and said oh no and my husband was home and i said babe and he's like who not good in the sense of we can say this now that shawn's here but the likelihood of survival was slim uh so i knew it i was like okay we're just gonna be pretty rock solid with tammy but i was also just kind of at that point in
00:37:32
Speaker
sort of reasonable constant contact. How are you? How's Sean? And then she told me where we're being, we're being metabacter, flight for life kind of thing. And I'm going with him. And that was another indicator to me because of the inside knowledge. You know, family members don't go in helicopters. It just doesn't happen. So that was also an indicator of the seriousness of what was happening. I'm really glad that both Tammy and Sean did not know at the time that they protected them, like,
00:38:02
Speaker
from that information because that just adds stress and gravity to the situation. So I was both Sean and Tammy were extremely important to me at that point and we had a deep friendship and we're coaching and working together and so I was deeply concerned and of course hoping for the best outcome possible but also kind of understanding what was happening. So trying to keep touch with Tammy and
00:38:32
Speaker
get updates as often as was reasonable and see what was going on.
Caregiving and Relationship Dynamics
00:38:37
Speaker
And why even when he was out of his first surgery, it was like, okay, well, we're hopefully on the road, but we're not out of the woods by any stretch. Yeah. So we were back and forth during all of this.
00:38:49
Speaker
And Tammy, if I'm not mistaken, you're having your own little medical malfunction, right? Or you had a scheduled surgery, right? Coming right up. Yes. So I had just completed an Olympic triathlon.
00:39:07
Speaker
I think in August, I don't know, Carolyn probably knows better than I do. I had a few- It was. It was your first Olympic and it was in August. Right. I had two sprints before that and then my Olympic and I had had some groin pain for years, but I'd never really taken it seriously. I used to be a marathon runner and then switched over to cycling racing and then I blew out my knee.
00:39:35
Speaker
So I had a long list. Carolyn, it was tough for Carolyn, whenever she met me. I had a long list of past injuries that I had just dealt with up to that point because no one could figure it out. They just really didn't have the technology, I don't think, to really figure it out. And what I have gotten to know about myself this last year is I can tolerate a lot more pain than most people.
00:40:05
Speaker
Um, especially if it's gradual. So pain over time can worsen and we can get used to it very easily. And, um, so they had discovered, uh, that I had a torn labrum. Um, and we didn't know exactly how bad because whenever they went in to put, do an MRI and put the needle in to put the dye into my, the joint area.
00:40:33
Speaker
they could not get it in all the way because all of the fraying and the scar tissue. And so that was close to childbirth, I would say. A lot of deep breathing just to get the needle where it needed to be to diagnose that. So surgery was scheduled and then Sean's accident happened. So everything had to be put on the back burner.
00:41:01
Speaker
Um, and then caregiving so, so the weeks, the days, the weeks after that, you know, Sean stayed in, you know, intensive care for a week. Um, and even then the hospitals were full and he couldn't even sit, you know, upright without completely passing out, um, or close to passing out. And so we did get him to a rehab hospital, which.
00:41:28
Speaker
He stayed in for another few weeks just so that way he could sit in a wheelchair enough to come home. And that was the biggest thing is being able to sit in a wheelchair long enough to transport from the car into his hospital bed. And at that point, he did come home. What's that? The hospital bed in the house.
00:41:54
Speaker
Yes, the hospital bed in the house because we wanted him home coming, you know, living in the hospital for him. And then our whole family, you know, me and my daughter and all of our incredible support of friends here in Maine. I just want a huge shout out to them. I could not have done it without a huge support. And even the rock climbing gym community, I was blown away by them too. So getting him home.
00:42:23
Speaker
wheelchair-bound. And so my caregiving for Sean, you know, lifting him up, making sure he showered properly, even picking up the wheelchair. Those wheelchairs are very heavy, especially if you have a hip injury. And just sitting in a car would hurt me. It was painful. So as soon as Sean could actually get himself to driving
00:42:54
Speaker
I knew I had to schedule the surgery. And it was a financial decision too. He had already met our insurance deductible. I had to push in my, I had to get my surgery in this year. So we had, I went ahead and planned it because I couldn't even sleep at night. I was dealing with some traumas, most people would probably guess.
00:43:19
Speaker
that was problematic of healing my body also. But whenever you are a spouse and you are a caregiver to someone who's just had an accident, I think it's important to know that
00:43:30
Speaker
Trauma does happen. Whenever someone said I had post-traumatic stress disorder, I'm like, you're freaking joking me. I called Caroline. I'm like, this is ludicrous. This is not the right diagnosis. It didn't make sense to me. I don't live my life in trauma or fear. What I do know is that I couldn't sleep at night because every single fear that I've ever had in my life came to fruition during Sean
00:43:59
Speaker
the days after Sean's accident. So it literally broke me completely open to every single fear that I might have had. And I was having what they referred to as night terrors where I couldn't even get back to sleep. So lack of sleep kind of compounded that into where I just, I couldn't even sleep at night because then at the pain. So once I got treatment for my trauma,
00:44:28
Speaker
then it was the pain of my hip was keeping me up at night. Because whenever you go through that, even on my end of things as the caregiver for Sean, which I want to say was, it was probably one of the most loving things I could ever do for my husband. I know that I hear a lot of bad things about caregiving. It was an incredible experience.
00:44:56
Speaker
And untraditional, or, you know, unconditional love really does come through. And we even joke and I'm like, Sean, I didn't know I loved you so much. And his response back to me was, yeah, me neither. And so it was a beautiful, it was a beautiful time, even in the hardness of all of it, it was still a really wonderful experience for, I think, Sean and I.
00:45:24
Speaker
And I do love him very much and still to, you know, and I can't imagine him not climbing and not thinking about that. So then, so yes, we ended up, he wanted to return the favor. So he is very goal oriented and made sure that I could get my surgery. So, so his accident was September 8th, which completely tore apart his entire body.
00:45:53
Speaker
And he was determined enough to get it back together so he could at least drive so I could do my surgery the day after Christmas on the 26th. Amazing. So we started healing too. Wow. Because then I became bedridden for a good four to six weeks after that.
00:46:14
Speaker
So did the roles change? Was he able to take care of you well enough or was he still struggling with his own condition? And this is kind of amazing to have both of you down and out like this. Well, let's just say our daughter Morgan is an incredible daughter. I think we could have ever been blessed with because she really stepped it up. She had to grow up.
00:46:35
Speaker
really quickly. Sean was there for me that first night because they had to dump all the fluids in me. I think I had to go to the bathroom every hour, which means they had to unstrap a boot around my ankle so that way I wouldn't tear apart the stitches. And then he had to help me get into the restroom.
00:47:01
Speaker
So every hour he had to get up and I could hear him. I would call him up in his room. He would moan and groan and just trying to get up out of the bed. Because if you can imagine the bolts in his pelvis alone. That was two and a half months, three months after the surgery and the accident. Just getting up to roll out of bed was incredible.
00:47:30
Speaker
I can't imagine excruciating, but he can only tell me about that. I think I know the answer to this question. Were you, Hammy, ever angry at Sean for having had this accident? Obviously because of what it did to him, but also how it impacted you, the whole family. Was there a moment?
00:47:58
Speaker
I know you obviously love him and that comes through in spades here. So I'm not considering that, but you can still be angry that something like this happened. Was that ever a possibility for you? I am so glad you asked that question. Absolutely not. Not an inkling, not one little inkling of anger ever. I will tell you what I'm angry at being in the climbing community. I'm, I'm,
00:48:27
Speaker
I get very upset whenever someone asks me, so you're not going to let him plan again, are you? And there's something that goes to my core of how could you even ask for me to rip something that makes Sean who he is away from him? Just because you have a car accident doesn't stop you from
00:48:51
Speaker
Why would I ever think that Sean has a climbing accident? Would he ever stop? So I expect, well, that he's going to climb. And I would actually kick his butt if he didn't try to climb again. COVID, I probably would be climbing already. Yes, he did something crazy to me a few weeks ago. He said, so I think on my anniversary of my accident, I'm going to go climb Cathedral Ledge again.
00:49:22
Speaker
And I almost flipped because he has not set foot on any climbs yet. Not that I am opposed to him climbing, but don't go face of fear before you put your hands on a rock. Understandably. Yeah. I think I'm.
00:49:40
Speaker
I'm all for that. That sounds like a good idea. A little more gradual reentry into climbing. Were those comments about, you just said that people were asking if you were going to allow him to climb again.
Community Support and Recovery
00:49:53
Speaker
Were they coming from climbers or non-climbers? They're coming from non-climbers of not understanding. No, I have had a couple people who have climbed in the past. They're not climbers now that have asked.
00:50:09
Speaker
ask me that same thing, or it's been more in the phrase, not of a question, it's more in the phrase of a statement. And that's where other people's fears cannot get the best of us. We have to work through our stuff and let them work through their stuff. And we can't take on other people's fears.
00:50:36
Speaker
We can only work what's in front of us. And I think that's one of the key lessons I think Sean and I both have learned is we can't take on and say, Sean's going to be climbing one day. It's a great ideal. And yes, we put that out there. Though whenever you're in the midst of all of this, I mean, it gets wicked hard.
00:51:04
Speaker
And Carolyn knows this, I've called her time and time again. It gets really hard hearing whenever Sean's getting depressed or he's lack of motivation or he's down on himself. Just to, you know, one day at a time whenever you're in this, whenever you're in it. I think the same thing goes for training. You can't look at the whole goal. You have to break it down into these pieces that are obtainable, they're sizable.
00:51:34
Speaker
you know, you get to, you know, you can't take them all in. You just get up and you do your workout. That's it. That's all that you can do for the day. And that's what we had to do with Sean is they're going to have ups and downs. And as a caregiver, you're going to have ups and downs. And that's why our support is so incredibly, I'm so incredibly grateful because I
00:52:04
Speaker
I don't know, at one point, it was maybe two or three in the morning and I was beside myself and I think I had reached out to Carolyn and I said, can someone just reach out to Sean that's a great climber and just say, you got this, all is well. Someone who's really had an accident and can pull him through a bit because he needs to see on the other side what this looks like.
00:52:30
Speaker
Well, I think that incremental approach that you were just talking about, it's a little bit like tackling a big climb. I mean, you have to break it down into individual pitches. If you look at the whole thing, it can be really overwhelming. But if you break it down into individual pitches and then individual movements, all of a sudden you can actually see how you're going to make progress on that and not become overwhelmed by just looking up at this massive thing and going, oh my God, I'm just a tiny little speck here. But Carolyn, how
00:52:59
Speaker
Had you been through any situations similar to this? Were you prepared for the role you ended up taking? Yes, just in the sense of having, one, sustained injuries in my life and understanding, from a personal standpoint, what it takes to get to the other side of injuries. Certainly, nothing as severe as Sean's, but
00:53:29
Speaker
The facts of that, the recovery was going to be long and there were going to be a lot of highs and lows. And then he was going to need, he was going to, I knew he's just got all this energy and positive outlook and that fuels you for a while. And then the first phase of darkness comes when you really realize where you are and it's hard and you're not, it's not going as quickly as you'd like. And you're unsure of your future.
00:53:58
Speaker
So I've been doing things myself and certainly helped a number of friends along the way. I've been guiding and instructing and coaching and mentoring for 25 years in different capacities. And it's a role I certainly love to fill. And so all that being said, I was ready and I kind of knew that
00:54:26
Speaker
I just felt that they were both going to need more support than maybe either one of them had ever asked for because they're both very determined, very hardworking, both in business for themselves. They get it done, just awesome human beings, but this was big. And so it's like, okay, we're just going to be on board for the discussions with Sean when things started to get hard.
00:54:54
Speaker
bringing the perspective in, connecting him with you and Steve with conversation, talking to Tammy about the fact that she had PTSD and needed some help and support, because facing the fact that you almost lost your husband, which is not just your husband, but your daughter's father and all of that is huge. And she really resonated with that and was like, wow, okay, got the help and
00:55:25
Speaker
Honoring the fact that she had a lot to deal with as did Sean and that they were going to need support. So I was happy to step into that role again and it was just great to be able to be there for them.
00:55:45
Speaker
So tell me, what was your initial role? Mostly just emotional support, really? I mean, you can do anything physically for either one of them because they're both kind of in bad shape at that point. Can I jump in here? Yeah. Because I will tell you what your role is, Carol. You probably said a lot of encouraging words. I think from the get-go is, what's next? Because whenever you're in that kind of traumatic experience, there is
00:56:16
Speaker
Like Carolyn said, Sean and I both have multiple businesses that we run. We usually know what to do. And in this, it is uncharted territory all the way. And Carolyn was my safety to know what the next step was. To take care of me, to take care of him, and what it meant to hold our family together, and what it meant to get my butt out and get on the saddle and go for a ride. And that was one of the most
00:56:45
Speaker
monumental rides that I could have had just to get my brain cleared. Yeah. And that's a big piece for a caregiver or someone who's dealing with taking care of someone or you hear it all the time. We don't want it to sound cliche, but you can only care for another if you care for yourself. So there has to be that some degree of Tammy needed to take care of Tammy.
00:57:15
Speaker
And the truth is, is for weeks, she wasn't. And my role, and that would be normal. I would have been in that same situation of just survive, help your husband survive, take care of your daughter, take care of your business. But my role really just turned into that person who'd
00:57:35
Speaker
seen it, been through it, helped others through it, be like, okay, I'm going to be reaching out. We did phone calls. We were no longer in the world of training Pete's and Arabic officials and stuff. We're like, no, it's like, that's all booklet. But that's part of what a coach, as far as in my head, that's, I mean, that's the easy stuff. It's like, hey, you want me to write a program? Great. But let me deal with the human that's,
00:58:04
Speaker
applying themselves. And now we had injury, we had stress and trauma, we had a new path. So instead, it was reaching out with regular phone calls, having those conversations, being that person in the relationship that I had developed for Sean and Tammy, like, trust, really, they can say anything, I'm happy to
00:58:29
Speaker
to be clear and honest, to provide that support, to tell them both that the emotions they were feeling were 100% normal and okay, and that we would just take that next step. Don't look at, as Scott, you mentioned, don't look so far up the pitches that it becomes daunting. Just think, what are we doing tomorrow? What's our goal next week? And so we all journey down that path
00:58:58
Speaker
And, you know, as it, as it evolved and getting some recommendations for help and what kind of PT and how much rest and that it's going to be okay. And we're just going to keep this going. And I told Sean, we had a conversation very early on. It's like he had mentioned to me.
00:59:18
Speaker
that he's like, I'm going to need your support. And I'm like, oh, you 100% got it every single step of the way. Like, I'm not going anywhere. Like, you're stuck with me. Like, we're doing this. So whatever you need, we're going to talk about it. And I'll support you. You just reach out and let me know.
00:59:39
Speaker
And it sounds like they did, both of them. I know I had a couple of conversations with Sean. I know that when I've had two instances in my life where I've had life-threatening accidents climbing.
00:59:58
Speaker
In a way, it's sort of therapeutic to talk about it.
Lessons Learned and Growth
01:00:01
Speaker
And my first call was, Sean, he walked me through the accident, step by step. And it didn't seem, Sean, you can correct me if I'm wrong, but in some way, I think that's cathartic. Would you agree with that? Yeah, I mean, I would agree. I mean, it's nice. People still ask me about it.
01:00:28
Speaker
It does feel good to talk about it. I mean, it's pretty easy to talk about now. Honestly, I don't know if it was ever really that hard to talk about. It didn't seem like it. That day, the first time I saw it. You would think it would be, but I don't know. I've just accepted it. I'm a pretty laid back person.
01:00:57
Speaker
I am very driven, but I am easy going. It takes a lot to get me riled up. Well, if this didn't get you riled up, I don't think you're probably not very rileable. Well, maybe sometimes simpler things get me riled up, but this didn't. I mean, I was just like, well, this happened. I'm just going to get through it. And seeing progress was
01:01:25
Speaker
That's really what kept me positive. You know, um, like I said, I was in the best shape of my life. So I think that that not only saved my life, I think it, it, it, it also sped up my, my recovery. I mean, the doctors and the physical therapists, they were like shocked at how fast I improved. Yeah.
01:01:50
Speaker
You know, we've seen that a lot. I mean, I know it from my own personal experience and other folks that I've worked with who've had accidents or surgeries to repair this or that.
01:02:02
Speaker
The fitter you are, the faster you bounce back, often to the amazement of your medical professionals. They're not used to seeing people like that. So that is a great, it's a wonderful side benefit of this, of our, of what we do in making people fit. But I also think that there's something about the mindset and the discipline of climbers that you get used to dealing with shitty situations.
01:02:30
Speaker
and understanding that things probably aren't always going to go the way you planned. And the longer you're in the climbing world, the more of those kind of situations you have to come to grips with. And I think most people who aren't comfortable with, you know, pulling up their big boy pants and just stepping, moving forward, end up quitting. Stop climbing.
01:02:53
Speaker
because almost everybody I know that's been in this for, you know, the length of time that people like Carolyn and myself and Steve have been, you know, in my case, you know, it's coming on 50, probably around 50 years since I started climbing. You see a lot and you see a lot of bad things, but I think that it's, I've just noticed that people who've been through this a number of times
01:03:18
Speaker
Aren't as unsettled. I mean, it's obviously in a very impactful situation to go through and see accidents and see people get hurt or killed, but.
01:03:29
Speaker
you tend to keep your focus and move ahead rather than just, you know, falling apart at the seams. And I think that's also one of the, like Tammy's mentioned, the climbing community. And I think it's one of the amazing things about our community, just looking at your rescue. All these people who, total strangers, come into your rescue.
01:03:51
Speaker
You know, I think that rescues are a dangerous thing because the people who are involved can also be hurt. So it's a wonderful aspect of our community that people pull together. And I remember Tammy telling me that your local climbing gym put on some kind of an event for you right after this, right? Yeah. Evo.
01:04:16
Speaker
Go ahead, Sean. Evil Rock Jim in Portland, Maine. That was just an amazing event. I mean, if that doesn't make you feel good, you're not human. I mean, I was there in my wheelchair and I spoke to people who had, I spoke to someone who fell on that same climb and decked. But he,
01:04:45
Speaker
He somehow didn't hurt him. He literally was climbing like the next week. I mean, he said he took like an 80 footer and deck, but he was still climbing. And I don't know how it was just like, so he, you know, we could relate, you know? I just wasn't as lucky as he was. No, totally not. And I do want to say that the community is incredible at Evo and they really pulled together time and
01:05:15
Speaker
even after the fundraising event, we were still getting people donating because I think climbers can relate. And the one thing in my experience is I didn't really have any, anyone reaching out to me that was a climbing wife or a climbing partner. I think it's really scary to step foot into that scenario of possibly losing a partner.
01:05:41
Speaker
Um, so if there's anyone out there that needs me, I will be there. Absolutely. I think that is maybe an opportunity to, um, for those who have been through the experience, be there for other people. Um, and, and looking, looking back at this, you know, I, I think I can speak for Sean and myself that. Yes, it was a tragic event. It was very traumatic and it was.
01:06:07
Speaker
one of the hardest years of our lives. And it could potentially be one of the best years of our lives because things like this bring us together. We're happier now than we've ever been. We have trusting, wonderful relationships and we support each other more now than we ever have. And so these moments don't need to break us.
01:06:35
Speaker
They might break us open, but guess what? We get to recreate them. We get to recreate what our future is and how it's different. And, you know, yes, you know, we make jokes all the time. So does this what it means to, you know, be old? Do we need to check in on each other, you know? So, you know, hiking, we're really, I think we're really in tune. And I think it's really strengthened our marriage too.
01:07:06
Speaker
That's certainly a wonderful story about kind of the
01:07:11
Speaker
that the growth that came through this really tough situation. Yeah, I think that that's remarkable and you guys should be very proud of yourselves. Not everybody could have pulled that off, but having that kind of attitude that you've had obviously played a huge role in it.
Closing Reflections and Future Aspirations
01:07:31
Speaker
And you had somebody on the other end of the phone, Carolyn, who was willing to tell you to pull up your big boy pants every now and then.
01:07:41
Speaker
Yeah. Well, and you know, I have to circle back that I do believe having helped people, a number of people rehabilitate from significant injuries from spinal cord damage and paralysis to, you know, Sean, nearly dying and just kind of being there, whether in person or hear more phone that you hear this saying a lot, attitude is everything.
01:08:07
Speaker
But there's a lot to be said for that. And Sean and Tammy have amazing attitudes in the sense of just being staying positive. And I want to put this in a perspective of not 100% of the time, that's not humanly possible to just be happy, positive, happy, positive. But their general global output is
01:08:31
Speaker
supporting each other and looking for the silver linings and appreciating the support and, and the, the power that they give to the words that are articulating is, is that, is that of, I'm going to take the next step and we're here and we're so fortunate because we're so fortunate because, and, and having that kind of energy, I mean, that's within your body that helps you heal, that brings, you know, the silver lining of the positive through all this and
01:09:00
Speaker
Every now and again we all go to that little dark place we have a major major trauma we have to recover and that's where our friends and family are key.
01:09:10
Speaker
Two things that Chris said to John was, you know, pull your big boy pants up. That was before the accident. After the accident, he'd have a hard time and we'd talk through things and set him up for success. And I would say, hey, Sean, you're not dubbed. And he'd laugh. That was literally, I mean, we can say that now, but he nearly died. So I'm like, well,
01:09:31
Speaker
I know this is hard, but hey, you're not dead." He's like, you're right. Okay, I'll start journeying on again, CP. We'll get this done. And it's true. And so life is so much about perspective. And I think, I know for me, and I know for Scott, that gives us more and more ability as coaches, is our life perspective and journey. We're able to help others.
01:10:00
Speaker
because of all what we've seen and done and been through and helped. And we're happy to be there. And it's a pleasure to help and support people like Tammy and Sean. It's awesome. Yeah. Well, it's a wonderful thing to have. I mean, I've been pulled into this very peripherally, but it's been an eye-opening experience for me as well. And before we wrap up today,
01:10:28
Speaker
Tammy and Sean, do you have any like things you haven't been, haven't said yet today that I haven't, things I haven't prompted you for that you'd like to say, or have I emptied? If I ask everything that we needed to ask. I ran eight miles the other day. Holy cow. Wow. I did a thousand vert too, which it's hard to find around here. It doesn't sound like a lot, but that felt like a lot.
01:10:54
Speaker
That's huge. Congratulations. Yeah. That's wow. So yeah, I'm, I'm on the mend. I mean, trust me, I still get up in the morning. I'm like, Oh yeah. And that might be the rest of my life. I've come to realize that or accept that, you know, I may have, you know, I may have pain down in my pelvis the rest of my life, but it's, it's manageable, you know?
01:11:22
Speaker
So if anything, I want to, if anyone's watching, I want this to be an inspiration that, you know, if you have a bad accident, you know, your life and you live and your life's not over, you know, you can, you can come back from it. Definitely possible. Thank you. Thanks. Yeah. You're living proof. Thank you. Yep. Tammy, you're muted.
01:11:51
Speaker
Thank you. Yeah, I want to circle back around to uphill athlete and Carolyn is, I would say by far the best coach I've ever had. And I think there is something to be said for couples coaching in the way of both of us having the same coach. I never would have thought that and I wouldn't change it.
01:12:15
Speaker
It's really beneficial to both of us. If you have a coach, if you can get a coach, not everyone can get her because we're going to have her forever more. We won't share her. We will share her to a certain point because we know that something will happen again and that's life. That's the way life happens.
01:12:37
Speaker
And kudos for her to really helping us out through those long duration, because this was a long one. And we hope to be back out there next year full force again. I have one more injury I need to get through. Other than that, I believe that Sean is going to be climbing next year. I believe I'm going to be starting to climb again soon, and I'm going to be running another triathlon. So I think it's a
01:13:05
Speaker
look for us out there and we might not be the fastest one that's out there, but we will be out there. I'm always climbing this winter by the way, not next year at this point. Okay, well thanks for informing about that one, yeah. Oh, by the way.
01:13:25
Speaker
You have been officially notified now. I have no doubt that the two of you will continue to prosper and I'm sure you'll be doing all those things you love, given your attitudes and what you've been able to pull together so far. I want to thank all three of you for making the time and being willing to share such a heartwarming and traumatic story. I mean, it's a very tough thing to
01:13:50
Speaker
to have gone through. But thanks very much. And I hope we don't have to do any more of these. I hope we've fulfilled our role of providing inspiration this way because it's a pretty darn tough way to earn that inspiration. But thanks again, everybody. I really appreciate it. And we'll see you guys, all the listeners of the next episode we do. Thanks. Bye bye.
01:14:20
Speaker
Thanks. Thanks for joining us today. For more information about what we do, please go to our website uphillathlete.com