“ I Can Ride Again ”
Anita Eriksson on Recovering with her Rover
Original article appeared in the March , 2013 edition of KFAnytt , Sweden
My name is Anita Eriksson and I will soon be happily retired . Over the years , my husband , Lasse , and I have spent many hours and ridden many miles on both pedal cycles on motorcycles . For years , our motorcycles were our greatest interest . We had probably driven 40,000 miles and I have sat as a passenger in 30,000 of them . In the summer of 2009 , we made a trip to the Baltics with some Danish friends - it was our last motorcycle ride . We parted from our friends in Karlshamn and went up to Kosta where we rested . My memory gets fuzzy here - one hour and seven miles of our trip are lost to me .
Our trip ended in a crash barrier near Malilla . Lasse was thrown out by the road and broke eight ribs , his collarbone , a big toe and a little finger . I had bad luck - I was thrown into the woods and sustained severe wounds : a broken left hand , torn shoulder ligaments , and a broken left leg . An ambulance carried me to a nearby hospital , where the doctors did a tremendous job of piecing together my leg with steel plates . I spent months in a hospital bed and then in wheelchair . Unfortunately , my injured leg developed an infection of the bone . I finally faced the difficult choice of whether to either try the so-called “ leg extension ” ( cut away the broken and hope for growth ) or amputation . After talking with an expert at Uppsala University , however , it was clear that amputation was my only option .
And so in February 2010 , the doctors amputated my left leg about 15 cm below the knee . In April , I got fitted for my first prosthesis . It was a relief be able to stand and walk again after more than eight months in a wheelchair . I had to learn to walk with a crutch which was difficult due to my shoulder injuries . When my shoulders were finally okay , I was ready to get back out and active again . Motorcycling , we had decided , was over with . So I decided I would take up pedal biking again , but there were some problems . I had seen that many bikes adapted to work with prosthesis , but with my weak shoulders I couldn ’ t trust that I would manage to steer truely or to react quickly enough in different situations . I needed an unconventional solution - I decided to go with a trike .
I tested various types , but they all had two wheels in the back . This made the stearing much harder , especially with bad shoulders . Lasse , who long pondered getting a recumbent bike , then found a recumbent trike that would work perfectly . The American-made trike was available at a Swedish importer in Örnsköldsvik ( www . nicebikes . se ), so we went there and test drive it . Sure enough , it seemed to work great .
That is how we both ended up ordering TerraTrike Rovers . I further equipped mine with an electric motor for assistance on steep hills . We took the trikes home in May and promptly took a long ride , which unfortunately ... resulted in fairly decent chafing from my prosthetic sleeve . Luckily , a knowledgeable and understanding orthopedic technician cut and warmed out the sleeve . When the chaffing healed , he taped my knee carefully so we could ride again . Now that the fit is good , and with lots of practice , I can do tours of around 20 km and it will probably be doing more . I want to use my story to show that the are unconventional solutions which can give people with injuries or limitations extra life . We now have a higher quality of life because we are able to trike around on the back roads and bike paths and enjoy our wonderful countryside . I will continue working with my doctors to get even more advanced and comfortable prosthetics that will work with my Rover . In the mean time , I am very happy to be enjoying the great outdoors once again .