Page 38 - KCRPCA Sept Oct 2019

38 SEP / OCT 2019 be his teachers, caretakers and substitute family for 24 months. Craig specializes in returning spinal and traumatic brain injury patients back to a physical condition where they can, with assistance and modifications, partake in some manner, their previous athletic endeavors. As with all rehabilitations, there were ups and downs, successes and failures. But Blake also is not a quitter, and after nearly two years in and out of Craig, he was given the green light to go home, and stay. However, Blake was determined not to become a kept individual within walls or only where his chair could transport him. The freedom and joy he had once so hugely embraced needed to be reclaimed. By climbing back in to a car Blake felt safe with its protective shell wrapped around him, and it gave him freedom. Freedom to move about when and where he wanted, freedom to let his mind release itself from the recent years of pain and struggling, both physically and mentally. When your life centers around a wheel chair, it becomes a daily grind. To make matters even more challenging are many people’s disregard of handicap parking slots and rest rooms. Often unhandicapped individuals park in the designated areas, or they will crowd the marked area with their car. This makes entry and exit, with a cane, walker and especially a wheel chairextremelydifficultifnotimpossible to complete. Handicap bathroom stalls, thought to be well maintained, many times are left dirty and/or unusable due to malfunctioning toilets. And, like the parking spaces, unhandicapped people make use of them. Blake’s custom chair was built with a carbon fiber shell and other lightweight materials. However, even without the wheels mounted it weighs in at 28 pounds. It is still a battle royal to watch Blake lift the shell over his body, reach in to the back seat for the wheels, pull them out, slip them on the chair, and then get himself in to it. All with only arm strength. And that brings me back to the Kansas City Region spring DE at Heartland Park raceway. Here is where Blake met DE director David Stadtmueller and other Kansas City Porsche club members. Never having attended any type of DE, Blake had no clue what to expect. Would they deem him too much of a risk, not only to himself but to other drivers? Would his specialized driving equipment be ruled hazardous or ineffective? Happily, Blake and his custom driving equipment passed with flying colors and he was welcomed with open arms. Blake’s choice of wheels is a 2011 BMW E92 M3. (Sorry fellow Porschefiles, this is a special case) He chose this particular BMW for its’ sporty looks, on track capabilities, and its’ ability to make his in-car life easier. Needing to constantly transport a collapsible wheel chair is no easy task. Just think of taking a child’s car seat in and out every time you enter or exit your car, without use of your lower body. Exhausting just to visualize. And that brings me back to the Kansas City Region spring raceway. Here is where Blake met Chief Driving Instructo and other Kansas City Porsche club members. D r