Amputees group to host Yuma ride

Dream it, believe it, achieve it.

Yuma resident Tim Tidaback knows the meaning of those words.

Three years ago, while riding his motorcycle in Campo, Calif., Tidaback was sideswiped by a vehicle. He lived through the gruesome accident, but he didn't walk away uninjured. Tidaback broke both arms, his collarbone and his left femur, along with separating his pelvis. He also lost his left leg below the knee.

A witness to the accident later told one of the responding paramedics "everyone thought he had died."

That paramedic went to visit Tidaback in the hospital, after learning he was trying to regain memory of the accident and what happened.

But for Tidaback, what was lost three years ago has turned into an immeasurable gain: Today, that paramedic, Donna, is his wife. The couple now live in Yuma with their 6-week-old baby boy, Jeremy.

On June 4 Tidaback will help lead the way for the Yuma portion of Amputees Across America, a coast-to-coast bicycle trip that starts June 2 in Tustin, Calif., and ends July 26 in Vero Beach, Fla.

The 2010 riders include, Dick Fate, John Cool, Abel Cruz, Joe Sapere, Doc Milligan and Richard Deneve.

The Yuma ride begins at 9 a.m. June 4 at the Hilton Garden Inn Yuma Pivot Point. The event is free and open to the public. The route will take riders through downtown and end at the Yuma Rehabilitation Hospital, 901 W. 24th St.

A reception with speakers and refreshments will follow at 10 a.m.

The ride, in partnership with HealthSouth, is "an American journey of amputees, crossing the United States on bicycles to commemorate those individuals we meet along the way who have suffered an injury or sudden illness, but have not lost hope and refuse to give up," according to the official website.

Butch Bodine is the director of marketing operations for Yuma Rehab, a partnership of HealthSouth and Yuma Regional Medical Center.

Bodine said HealthSouth has sponsored the event for nine years and this year is the first the ride will stop in Yuma.

Events such as the Amputees Across America ride are important to members of the community, he said.

"Many people think that they're alone in the community when they've had a debilitating disability," he said.

Tidaback said he agrees, and he felt that way, too. He said meeting up with others with disabilities help to understand you're not alone.

"It turns it around the other way. It feels like you're not disabled, you're enabled to do things other than sit on the couch."

Tidaback uses a prosthetic leg, after 13 surgeries, including a revision of the knee to repair nerve damage.

"When it's on comfortably, I barely notice. It's great. I feel like I can go back to work."

Tidaback is going to school to study electrical engineering and says he's also interested in the physical therapy field. He knows firsthand what it means to receive excellent care, and he's even spoken with a local patient to help her overcome the obstacles in her life.

"I told her my story," he said.

While Tidaback said it's hard for people to understand that they can be happy again, "but it will happen."

Tidaback said events such as this one help bring people together. Without that interaction, "You end up getting into that little shell and you're not able to come out.

"Getting out and meeting people helps a lot. You never know if you don't get out there and find them."

For more information about the ride or to donate, go to www.AmputeesAcrossAmerica.com.