DAVID HILER

I’m an active person. Up until last year I owned and operated a 200-seat restaurant, 15 barrel brewery and a 45-site campground, in Brattleboro, Vermont. I enjoy hiking, biking, kayaking, traveling and generally being outdoors. I loved to ride my ‘76 BMW motorcycle. One of my biggest joys, though, is running. For most people running is not a “joy”, but for me, its my solitude, my meditation, my focus, my “unplugged” time. I ran four marathons from 2013 to 2016, all under 3 1/2 hours. In 2016 after a half marathon I noticed a lump on the side of my left knee. I was a little concerned. “No problem” my doctor said, “its Synovial Chondromatosis, a benign cartilage disease. If it gets bigger, starts to hurt, then come back and see me”. Two years later after another lump and some softer tissues on the back and side of my knee, my doctor saw a problem. She recommended I see an oncologist in Boston, even though she assured me it was not cancer. It was cancer. I had a rare form of bone cancer called Chondrosarcoma. Luckily, it was isolated to my knee. Unluckily, it was all over my knee. The options were to try to save the leg and face the prospect of chemotherapy / radiation and lots of follow up operations, all with the best case scenario of having a “tube with a foot”. OR, amputate above the knee and begin a new life as an active amputee with a prosthetic leg. It was a no brainer.

To say it's been easy would be untruthful. Reading through my journals from those early days is a strong reminder of how miserable I was in the beginning. But I had the incredible support of my wife and children and friends, and began to meet people from my new “tribe” who helped to lift me up and get me back on my...foot. I am persistent, driven and committed to live life as I did before. I have been fortunate enough to have received two running blades, a water leg and a snowboard knee from generous donations and foundations I have worked with over the past six years. However, the first lesson I learned after receiving my first running blade was that none of this is a convenience- simply being a runner does not make you an amputee runner. It takes weeks to learn the mechanics and years to build the stamina.

I have met a number of amputees who say losing a limb was the best thing that ever happened to them. At the time I thought they must have serious mental as well as physical issues. I now understand what they are talking about. What losing a leg to cancer has taught me is that obligations should not prevent us from doing the things we want to do. Life always presents opportunities. We deserve to enjoy them - and there will still be time for work.

I have continued to be inspired to push myself and more importantly enjoy my life. I have attended a 10-week mind and body immersive boot camp with the Adaptive Training Foundation in Texas, surfed with Amp Surf and Operation Beachhead, hiked in Big Bend and the Smoky Mountains, kayaked in Congaree National Park, biked the beaches in Edisto State Park and snowboarded in Vail, Breckenridge and Beaver Creek, Colorado. As I began my journey to give back, I have spent multiple weeks working with Dr. Hugh Herr at MIT on the development of a robot leg and become a Certified Peer Visitor for the Amputee Coalition to assist others experiencing limb loss. Most recently, I have taken on the role as the State Lead for Vermont to enact the So Every Body Can Move legislation, which simply asks insurance companies to comply with the law which states that all insured Vermonters receive the care they need to allow them to return them to the activity level which they enjoyed before they lost their mobility. Walking is simply not enough and having one leg hasn’t made me “less”, its allowed me to become whole.