Longform Writing

In general, life post-amputation is great. Learning to deal with it is certainly an adjustment, and there are new challenges every day. For the most part, the only rough patches are those without my leg. But, there’s another downside, and it’s kind of…

Saturday, I spent the morning with a group of amputees at a running and mobility clinic put on by the Challenged Athletes Foundation. In the days leading up to it, we were in the process of moving, and I had been pushing my leg a bit too hard. It was in…

This time last year, I was still debating whether to settle with my ankle fusion or move forward with amputation. I was about one year into my ankle fusion recovery, but it was still painful. So I tried snowboarding with it. I barely made it down one…

On March 1st, 2016, JD and team took the reigns of Sifter. That day, it absolutely felt like the right decision, but now, with a year’s worth of perspective, how does it feel? Even better. Handing over a project after pouring eight years of your life…

I had it made. I was running a comfortably profitable low-six-figure revenue company, and I answered to nobody but myself and customers. Growth wasn’t explosive, but business was healthy, and financially, I was doing well. So why leave it all behind?…

This year, I had my left leg amputated below the knee, and it took off the blinders to how privileged and lucky I have been. As I recover and catch up with friends and acquaintances, everyone is encouraging. People occasionally use the word…

I forgot how much easier life is when you have two legs the entire day. Three months after my amputation, I’m finally able to get through most of the day with my prosthesis, and it’s amazing. Not entirely pain-free, but still amazing. I’ve even started…

Three years ago, I was in intensive care trying to save my foot. Our first daughter was two, and I had to miss her first real Halloween. Just days before, we had learned that the surgery that put me in ICU was unsuccessful and we’d have to try again. In…

You may not know this, but a few weeks ago, I had my left leg amputated below the knee. About six months before that I sold Sifter. The two events are somewhat related, but they didn’t have to be. Financially, things were great because recurring revenue…

It seems that more and more people have visions of someday being self-employed. There are plenty of good reasons to pursue this, but there’s also a strong case to be made for the steady reliability of a 9-to-5 job working for someone else. Having spent…

Elective amputation is a nerve-wracking decision. There’s no way to go back if it doesn’t work out, and there’s almost always other options to explore. The result is a constant temptation to exhaust every available option that isn’t permanent before…

After I had been working on Sifter for about six years, I had a minor ankle surgery that unfortunately led to many more surgeries. While I was pleasantly surprised how well recurring-revenue software supported me through the ups and downs of surgeries…

Today I have some exciting news. It’s news that I never anticipated eight years ago when starting Sifter, but it’s news I’m excited to share nonetheless. Sifter has a new home. JD Graffam, already a caretaker for a handful of wonderful products, will be…

The most uncomfortable thing about an elective amputation is that it’s elective. Mountain biking has been a blessing. It’s enabled me to be active again for the first time since this started over two years ago. However, when I’m active, and the pain…

About two and a half years ago, recovery from a relatively minor surgery went a little bad. Eight surgeries and year and a half after that I was seriously considering a below-knee amputation. After several discussions with multiple surgeons, physical…

It’s been almost two years since my flap surgery and about six months since my ankle fusion. The fusion itself was technically a success. The bones fused, and my foot is now in a better position. The pain, however, is as present as ever. I’m able to…

A few weeks back, I snowboarded for the first time in two years. My left ankle was weak and in pain but nothing a few pain killers couldn’t bring to tolerable levels. If you told me that was the best I could ever hope for, I’d probably be done with…

For the last year, I’ve been on a part-time quest to find shoes that are comfortable given the circumstances of my foot. They need to have very soft soles to help absorb the impact that my ankle can’t. They need to be wide enough not to squeeze my now…

When I shared the news about considering amputation in light of my foot and ankle troubles from the last year, I failed to add some important context. From the outside looking in, amputation sounds incredibly tragic. In the context of a healthy foot and…

In the back of my mind through all of my foot and ankle troubles, amputation was never off the table. Now, after almost a year and a half of ankle surgeries and physical therapy, we’re actively discussing it. It’s not a foregone conclusion, but it’s…