The BeginningThe Hyatt Regency Ballroom – Chicago – A Drums Alive® workshop is about to begin. The atmosphere is bristling with the anticipation of the attendees, young and old, from many different walks of life, all waiting for their chance to drum like a rock star. The excitement is fresh and contagious, and I am eager to take part. It is then that I am reminded that I only have one hand. Without missing a beat I wrap a Velcro strap around my wrist and the drumstick and within seconds I too am a rock Star! The experience of drumming was nothing short of life changing.
At the end of the drumming session I introduced myself to Carrie Ekins, the creator of Drums Alive®, a program that combines drumming and rhythm with aerobic movement, to thank her for this incredible experience that I thought was beyond my capabilities. Carrie was confused and questioned why I thought this way. Tears of amazement, inspiration and joy filled her eyes after showing her I have only one hand.
I have been a fitness instructor for 22 years. Fitness is my passion and I am driven to share my passion with others. Being born without a hand has given me the opportunity to prove that overcoming our perceived limitations, physical or otherwise, is one of the most life-affirming and life-altering goals that any of us can pursue.
My desire is to take my passion and my experience with the Drums Alive® program and use it to inspire the young and old, the mentally and physically challenged, as well as the physically fit and unconditioned populations to become independent, functional and successful. Designing and manufacturing this special fitness glove for these populations so that others can overcome their perceived limitations is my first step in accomplishing this goal.
Highlights of the glove are:
- The glove is engineered to easily conform to the hands of a variety of users, including users with arthritis or other hand abnormalities. As the glove has no individual finger holes and only uses a thumb hole, it is easy to slide on or off at will. The supple leather of the glove is light and comfortable.
- The glove is equipped with a Velcro wrist strap, which provides additional support to a user’s wrist, cushioning impact and providing flexibility and a range of motion.
- The glove is further equipped with an elastic pocket that easily supports a drumstick or other drumming implement. The elastic pocket provides a range of users, and together with the Velcro strap, allows any user the ability to drum at will.
My situation that day proved that sometimes necessity really is the mother of invention. To participate in fitness programs that piqued my interest such as drumming or weight lifting, it was necessary for me to design and fabricate my own aids to overcome my physical challenge.
It is my hope that I can translate my success in meeting this challenge into helping others overcome similar challenges. As your confidence grows, I feel you too will begin to see the opportunity in challenge, will throw off the frustrations and limitations you have met with in the past, and significantly enhance and improve your life.