Dallas County Living Well Magazine July/August 2016 | Page 35

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rehabilitation hospital to point me in the right direction.
I was paired with a young prosthetist named Kevin
Garrison who was also an amputee, and I felt that he
was sympathetic to what I was going through. He fitted
me with a body-powered prosthesis, referred to as a
hook. This was not exactly what I envisioned that my
first replacement hand would look like, but I was told
that it was part of the process before being fitted with
the more expensive electric hands. Walking around with
the hook in public got me lots of stares, especially from
children, which took some getting used to. The hook is
a functional device that has been around for decades.
Unfortunately, it is not the prettiest hand to look at. In
fact, it is pretty scary looking, but I have been able to
accomplish a lot with it, from pressure washing my roof to
painting my home to building a man cave in my garage.
After using the hook for a month, I was fitted with my first
myoelectric prosthesis that was powered by a rechargeable battery. Again, not what I envisioned, but I was
willing to give it a chance. It took me about a month to
learn how to operate it if it was working properly or I
was using my muscles the correct way. Frustration is the
word that I would use to describe that first month, and
patience is the word that entered my vocabulary at this
time and will remain with me for the rest of my life.
It was not long after that when I realized that I would
never get my hands back, and there was no technology
available that would replace them. The prosthetic limb
was intended to be a tool that I would use to make my
life somewhat easier. I can now say that it has given
me the ability to be fully independent. I travel throughout the country for speaking engagements and races
by myself, and you should see the looks that I get when
walking through the airport dragging my 50-pound

bicycle box, carry-on luggage and backpack with a
smile on my face. It makes my day knowing that those
people go home and tell their friends, parents or children what they saw a man without arms doing.
The darkest days of my life that prevented me from
having a smile on my face were during my divorce.
Again, this was a temporary obstacle that when
conquered has led to some of the best and brightest days and, eventually, to the sport of triathlon.
At first I approached it as a challenge that would serve
as a form of therapy to get me through the tough times;
however, I was not a swimmer or a cyclist and I hated
running, but I was determined to compete. I developed
my own style of swimming on my back using my legs,
and I made modifications to a cheap bicycle and stuck
it out on the run to finish my first sprint triathlon on July
4, 2009. Finishing that race got my competitive juices
flowing and sparked an addiction to the sport.
For me, competing and finishing triathlons is about
more than just getting a medal––it is about the impact
that I have on others. I have been told on many occasions that I inspire others to finish and overcome their
obstacles during a race. Thinking about those people
encouraged me during the final stretch in New York City
and allowed me to cross the finish line of my first Ironman triathlon to hear the words «Hector Picard, you are
an Ironman.» I finished that first race in a slow 16 hours
and 42 minutes; but I finished nonetheless, becoming the
first person to complete the challenge without hands.
The next morning, I signed up for my next big race and
since then have completed four Ironman races, more than
135 triathlons, three marathons, three marathon swims and
two solo-cycling trips across the United States––all while
having a smile on my face and living life to the fullest.

Hector Picard is available for speaking engagements throughout the year.
You can learn more about him by visiting his website www.dontstopliving.org.