At the time, the St. Louis Cardinals were in the thick of the 2006 pennant race. As I walked in the parade with my son, I did so proudly wearing my Cardinals cap. Imagine my surprise when I noticed another individual walking with us in the parade who was wearing a bright red Cardinals sweatshirt. I introduced myself to the man, and was glad to meet another Cardinals fan so far from home!
Just a few weeks later though, that man, Hal McIntire was in an accident that resulted in him losing part of his left leg below the knee. I can imagine that in such a situation, it would be easy to become bitter and adopt a "woe-is-me" attitude. Hal instead remains a positive, upbeat person, who seems to have a smile on his face every time I see him. He is truly an inspiration to me, as well as to many others who received the following note from him today:
Hello, today October 9, 2012 is the six year anniversary of the accident in which I lost the lower part of my left leg. I wanted to let you know I am doing great, I even played in a real baseball league this year:) I am very glad I survived the accident and have been able to enjoy some great experiences and got know some new people the last 6 years.
A while ago I ran across an article about some of our brave troops in Iraq who have also lost limbs in the war. One of their inspirational observations that hit home with me was that they very well could have died the day they lost their limbs. They choose to call that day their "Alive Day". Like them I could have easily been killed or worse my children could have died that day.
So please join me in celebrating my "Alive Day". Please no presents. All I ask is that you reflect on the good things you have in your life and be thankful for your health and the friendship and caring of good people like you. Thank you again for being a part of our lives.
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