By Andrew Longstreet
As many of you know, a few months ago, I underwent several surgeries that left my index finger amputated slightly past the first knuckle on my dominant hand. Although I am still in physical therapy, awaiting prosthesis, and have frequent visits with my surgeons, I have finally been able to return to working at Sharing Wheels. And in so doing, I would like to take the time to thank everyone who has so graciously supported me through this recovery process.
Soon after I was able to begin using my hand again, I sat down and began creating thank you cards in appreciation for anyone who was able to show support, assist, help, or donate to my recovery. In this way, I first learned of the gravity of my injury and how it was going to effect me, even after it was fully healed.
When I was young, I had injured my right hand, and had to use my left hand to use tools and write with for a short time. Albeit the handwriting mainly illegible, and tool use laborious and inaccurate. But I healed and things went back to normal.
With the bandages off and so much so- healed, I suddenly found that the illegibility and inaccuracy of my left hand was now, most dexterous and accurate part of my entire body, the remaining intact index finger.
As it turns out, the end knuckle of our dominant index finger is our primary means of engaging our modern environments. Although I have learned to use a keyboard once more, I can no longer write, use chopsticks, use power tools comfortably, or even really use my bicycle brakes effectively. But, I was never a fan of picking small items up to begin with, so we can consider that a win.
In summary, I am very grateful to being a part of this community, and wanted to apologize for not being able to express my gratitude sooner. You are a huge part of what makes this small peninsula of Everett such a fantastic place to call home.
Thank you for everything, and for being who you are and part of this community bike project. I look forward to our continued interactions, and hope to use this as an opportunity to grow and bring more to the table.
Best regards,
Andrew Scott Longstreet
(The greatest bike rider that has ever lived {in Everett})