[OT] Now this is amazing... I'm honestly stunned.

[Tsyr]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,85784,00.html

That's... words fail me. I hate to make it sound cliche, DnD esq, but... That's epic right there.

Honestly, in his situation, I would have died. No question. And I don't know many people personaly who wouldn't have as well.

Using a pocket knife!

And climbing down a cliff afterwords!



He's an honorary NPC in my world from now on.

 

[The Forsaken One]

/me is awe struck.

 

[EricNoah]

And who says the Toughness feat is useless!!

 

[NoOneofConsequence]

That is H.A.R.D.

Wow.

 

[Mark]

Showboat...






...pretty fricking amazing, actually...

 

[Azlan]

Myself, I want to see the type of pocketknife he used, because it must've been one helluva' a pocketknife!

This reminds me of the true story of the teenager who got both his arms ripped off by a threshing machine, on a farm. He went into his house, where no one else was home at the time, and dialed 911 using a pencil, held in his teeth. While waiting for the paramedics to arrive, he went lie down in the bathtub so he wouldn't continue spilling blood all over his mother's carpet.

This teenager lived. In fact, I think they sewed his arms back on, and he regained much (though not all) of their use.

 

[Tsyr]

Myself, I want to see the type of pocketknife he used, because it must've been one helluva' a pocketknife!

This reminds me of the true story of the teenager who got both his arms ripped off by a threshing machine, on a farm. He went into his house, where no one else was home at the time, and dialed 911 using a pencil, held in his teeth. While waiting for the paramedics to arrive, he went lie down in the bathtub so he wouldn't continue spilling blood all over his mother's carpet.

This teenager lived. In fact, I think they sewed his arms back on, and he regained much (though not all) of their use.

I remember that. I think I was all of 10 or something at the time.

Last I had heard, though, he still wasn't much beyond "A bit of feeling and a little movement", but...

 

[Aitch Eye]

I suppose this will sound facetious ( ), but honestly, the first time I heard one of these pocket knife self-amputation stories(edit: just so it's clear, there has been at least one other), it just seemed so dramatic ... it never occured to me that someone even could come along and take it to a whole other level.

I remember seeing something about a rock climber who lost his legs who managed to take up the sport again, hopefully this guy will be able to work something out as well.

 

[ArielManx]

I remember that. I think I was all of 10 or something at the time.

Last I had heard, though, he still wasn't much beyond "A bit of feeling and a little movement", but...

Both Tsyr and Azlan are referring to John Thompson of Hurdsfield, ND. Hurdsfield is about 50 miles from my hometown. I don't know John personally, but he is doing quite well and has made a lot of progress. I do know he's regained enough use of his arms and hands to write again, as I've seen pictures of him at signings for the book he wrote about his ordeal. More info about that can be found here:

http://www.johnsbook.net/main.php

(He got caught in a power-take-off, actually - a threshing machine is an piece of farm equipment that hasn't been used since the 1940's or early 1950's.)

The mountain climber story (amazing!) actually reminded me of a neighbor from back home who got caught in a hay baler. He managed to get one arm out and then somehow take off his shoes and wedge them between the rollers so he wouldn't be completely pulled in, but he couldn't get his left arm out because his watch was caught. So he just sat there and gritted his teeth until the baler finally cut his arm off (below the elbow)...then drove back to the farm and called for help. He still farms and hauls an 18' cattle trailer one-handed. He's one of my heroes.

Ariel (The North Dakota Farm Girl )

 

[Eosin the Red]

Makes you rethink your definition of TOUGH.