believed to be . Lin points out that |
|||||
within some circles in Mongolian |
|||||
culture , Khan ’ s final resting place |
|||||
is considered sacred and meant to |
|||||
remain hidden and undisturbed , |
|||||
which is precisely why the novel |
|||||
use of ground-penetrative radar |
|||||
and non-invasive methods such as |
|||||
satellite and drone imagery proved |
|||||
so important . |
|||||
Ultimately , the tomb was not |
|||||
found , but Lin piqued widespread |
|||||
interest in the methods employed |
|||||
in his search . He became National |
|||||
Geographic magazine ’ s Readers |
|||||
Choice Adventurer of the Year for |
|||||
2009 , and continued traveling the |
|||||
world using the same technology , |
|||||
searching for lost Mayan temples |
|||||
in Guatemala and finding secrets |
|||||
in ancient Chinese tombs . It was |
|||||
all documented in various National |
|||||
Geographic specials and series , |
|||||
making Lin became a familiar |
|||||
face for the organization , if not the |
|||||
epitome of modern exploration . |
The entire time he was in the |
challenges would be as intense as |
|||
hospital , Lin says , his partner |
what he would experience in the |
||||
YET IN SEPTEMBER 2016 , Lin went |
didn ’ t leave his side . |
onslaught of phantom limb pain . |
|||
on another excursion , this one |
He remained in the hospital for |
“ It felt like it was on fire , ripping |
|||
local and relatively low-risk : an |
a month , battling infections invad- |
apart , folding over backwards ,” |
|||
afternoon off-roading with a friend |
ing his bones , deciding whether to |
he says . “ The kind of pain I was |
|||
in a small 4x4 vehicle near Poway , |
fight to keep the mangled limb or |
feeling , it ’ s hard to describe . Never |
|||
Calif ., not even 15 miles from UC |
move on without it . Lin , the father |
a relief . I was desperate .” |
|||
San Diego . “ My friend was driving |
of a young son and daughter , the |
Lin sought solutions outside |
|||
and it rolled ,” he says . “ It was a |
avid runner , surfer and rock climb- |
of typical pain medications and |
|||
split second , and I instinctively |
er who once scaled Yosemite ’ s |
traditional therapies , ones that |
|||
tried to stop it from tipping .” |
El Capitan , took to Instagram to |
relied on the mind . After all , the |
|||
He stuck out his right leg to do |
recount his decision : |
place where he was feeling pain |
|||
so , but to no avail — the roll cage |
The choice was clear for many |
didn ’ t exist anymore . A couple of |
|||
landed on top of the limb , his |
reasons ( including a growing |
weeks after becoming an amputee , |
|||
bones splintering like bamboo . |
infection ), but at its core it was |
he and his partner began going |
|||
And just like that , in a cloud of |
a decision to move forward over |
out to the desert , leaving his pain |
|||
dust , dirt and blood , his life was |
holding on to what was already |
medications behind and relying |
|||
changed . |
gone . This is true for so many situ- |
on solitude and mental focus to try |
|||
Within this turning point of loss |
ations in life , and it ’ s never easy . |
and control what he was feeling . |
|||
and rebirth , Lin points out there ’ s a love story . He ’ d been dating a woman for just a week when the accident happened . She held his head as he lay in the dirt awaiting an ambulance , guiding him through deep meditation to help keep him calm and keep the pain , which would later become unbearable , at bay . |
Lin ’ s leg was amputated below the knee , and a new life began . Through a series of moments seemingly small and insignificant , he had to remaster things many take for granted : How to get a glass of water from one side of the room to the other . How to go the bathroom without relying on his partner . Yet none of these |
LOST AND FOUND After a growing infection took over his injured leg , Lin chose amputation , " a decision to move forward over holding on to what was already gone ." |
Lin also sought help from his colleagues at UC San Diego , in particular psychology professor V . S . Ramachandran , a leading expert in phantom limb pain . The author of the acclaimed book Phantoms in the Brain , Ramachandran is credited with developing mirror therapy , which can significantly reduce chronic pain and phantom |
||
TRITONMAG . COM 27 |