NJ Cops | Page 41

NEW JERSEY COPS n JULY 2014 I couldn’t get up and down the stairs,” he related. So getting up and down the stairs was the first step. When he moved back home, his two sons and girlfriend, along with a new puppy, helped Braxton get around. Eventually, he was walking the dog. That was the easy part, according to Braxton. He had to get used to the socket where what was left of his left leg coupled with his prosthetic leg. Putting pressure on a part of the body not used to it led to soreness and itchiness. Additionally, his leg had atrophied and Braxton didn’t have enough strength to sit, let alone stand. Still, he worked through 90 minutes of therapy three times a week that each felt like an entire day of work. A big step came when the Challenged Athletes Association brought Braxton to San Diego for a weekend last summer to attend a running clinic. The weekend event also featured a triathlon in which para-Olympians and other star para-athletes participated. One of those athletes, Paul Peterson III, struck up a friendship with Braxton. Peterson is training for the 2016 ParaOlympic Games, and during the clinic in San Diego, he lent Braxton a running foot for his prosthetic. “Meeting these guys blew the doors open for me,” Braxton commented. “I was so amped and on such a high from seeing the amazing things people were doing at the running clinic that I quickly realized how much I had to do. And I knew I could get somewhere.” Before long, Braxton said he felt his strength coming back. Another big step came when he was able to run errands for his girlfriend and the boys, 9-year-old My’keal and 2-year-old Dominic. “I was getting back to what I used to do – helping people,” he admitted. “It was like extra therapy for me. And my son still wasn’t able to beat me in basketball.” Help along the way A multitude of people helped Braxton get from there to here. One of those was Hamilton Township Police Officer and Local 66 41 member Bob Whartenby. In October, 2011, Whartenby lost his leg in a motorcycle accident, and he has mentored Braxton through getting used to his prosthetic. Their relationship has continued, and Whartenby has been the one person who helped Braxton understand what it was going to take to get back on duty. Brandon Holiday, a former Maryland police officer, is another amputee who showed Braxton the way back. “He knows everything about all the