Introducing...  Bill Rickard

Location:   Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, CANADA
Date of Amputation/Cause:    June 10th, 2002. I had just arrived in Italy for a two week vacation, consisting of a motorcycle tour around Italy, and plans to attend a major Italian motorcycle race prior to my return to Canada. Within 2 hours of picking up my motorcycle, I was hit by a young driver who crossed the centre lane in his truck, and struck me head on. As a result, I ended up a couple of hundred yards down the highway, fully conscious, but minus my left arm at the shoulder and left leg at the hip! I can actually still remember trying to tell the ambulance staff that I couldn't understand them, as I couldn't speak Italian! The surgeons are still amazed that I survived, due to cutting both major arteries, and considerable blood lose. The story get better! From the first small hospital, they air lifted me to a major hospital in Pavia, Italy, and continued to work on keeping me alive. for approx.. two days, when I was finally stabilized. By then my wife had arrived in Italy, from Canada, and was given the following news. According to the main surgeon in Pavia, the first doctor who basically kept me alive immediately after the accident, went home to learn that it was his son that was driving the truck that caused the accident! Guess I should have stayed home a bought lottery tickets that week!
Prosthesis:    Presently wearing a leg pros. part time, but haven't tried anything as of yet to replace the arm. Being that I'm a shoulder disartic, I'm not sure if a prosthetic arm would be of much advantage??
Amp Events Attended: ACA conference at Nashville, 2004
Other Information:  I'm married with one son, and now 57 years of age. (should have been smart at this age and stuck to four wheels) I'm the owner of a manufacturing business located in Ontario, that specializes in the manufacture of custom material handling equip., industrial automation and packaging machinery. Prior to my accident I played both guitar and banjo, plus have built musical instruments, since I was a teenager. I'm now building banjos once more, with only one hand, and numerous devices that I've designed and built to make it all possible. Just have to figure out how to play one handed and I can quit the day job!
Email:  wrickard@telus.net
Personal Web Site:  Not completed but working on it!  www.banjo-workshop.com

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Joyce Baughn

Left Arm Productions