More than any medicine or technology in the world, sometimes it’s the simplest joys that bring healing. This was a lesson that the late Don Backe learned after a near fatal car wreck in 1989 left him paralyzed. In the months following his life changing collision, Backe, once a seasoned sailor, was merely subsisting, daydreaming about the things in his life he felt he could no longer do. His family decided it was time to help him get back in the saddle.
Through a system of ropes and pulleys, Backe’s family assisted him aboard his old sailboat. It was like riding a bike—as soon as he’d gained his bearings, it was like nothing had changed. There were new