Double amputee preparing for second Boston Marathon, Seven Summits
BOSTON - For most of his life, a man from Dedham didn't think he was capable of walking, but he learned anything is possible with hard work and perseverance. Now, he's running his second Boston Marathon
"I think I spent so much of my life lost in my own head, kind of afraid of what the world would think of me, that I was holding myself back," said Brian Reynolds.
Brian Reynolds is no longer lost. It's been a remarkable rebirth, considering that for more than half his life he tried to hide being a double amputee.
"Growing up I pretty much avoided any sort of walking, running, cardio. I had an excuse to skip every gym class basically and I definitely took advantage of it. I was really shy and nervous about my legs. I wore pants exclusively into my 20s I didn't own any shorts at all basically," Reynolds recalled.
A rare form of meningitis, meningococcemia, took both of Brian's legs when he was just four. The Dedham native says he really avoided walking until after college, when a fundraising hike of the Grand Canyon ignited something inside him.
"When I say that opening up about my life and not being so shy about my legs changed my life, it changed every aspect of my life," Brian explained.
Through more 'Team in Training' fundraising endurance challenges, Brian met his wife. He completed his first ever marathon. And fell in love with his first running legs.
"It was very freeing. It was like flying. I went from being shackled by the weight of everyday legs to feeling like I was floating along. It was one of the most amazing feelings ever," Brian said.
The dad of three, who now lives in New Jersey, has been busy training for his second Boston Marathon, while also literally climbing to the top of the world. Following Mount Fuji, he's aiming higher.
"I'm working on the Seven Summits which is the highest mountain in each continent. I did Aconcagua back in February and this summer I'm going to be doing Kilimanjaro," Brian said. He's thrilled his wife and oldest son will join him.
Brian says the little boy in the Saint Catherine's and Xaverian school uniforms wouldn't recognize him today. Even on the bad days, it's still so good.
"That's a constant refrain in my head when things get hard. I get to do this, not I have to or need to. It's primarily a feeling of gratitude," Brian said. "Knowing I'm able to do something now that I never thought I'd be able to do."
Brian said his accomplishments and endurance challenges are certainly about pushing himself, but it's also to show other amputees and para-athletes what's possible. When Brian lost his legs in the early 90s, there was no social media and no real amputee community that he could see. He didn't know how big his dreams could be, and now he's making them come true - one race and climb after another.
