Ricky the One Legged Man

I have been an advocate for the homeless for most of my adult life. Many of the people I have helped have made a significant contribution to my life - like Ricky.

Ricky is a one-legged man. He wears a prosthesis, but it easily falls off.

I see home riding his bike around Church Street with his prosthetic leg across the handlebars. He peddles with his right leg. I tried peddling with one leg, and that was quite a feat. It should be in the Olympics!

Ricky told me that he was helping a friend change a light bulb a while back which required him to climb a ladder. When he reached for the socket, his leg fell off! His friend handed it to him, and he finished changing the bulb and hopped off the ladder.

Ricky has also told me that recently a man pulled his leg off and beat him to steal $15 from him! He told me that the man didn't have to beat him with his leg. If he had known the man needed money, he would have given it to him!

Today was the first time I'd seen Ricky in a few weeks. He's been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. He looked pale and weak, and he had lost some weight. I was glad to see him, and he said he was doing great but he was dizzy a lot.

While I was speaking today, Ricky laid his head on the table and slept. He was warm and safe. He was cold and we warmed Him.

I was glad to see Ricky. He's my friend.