Me and my motivation
I’ve been called many things in my life; Daughter, Soldier, Medic, Mom, Biker,
and a few that I shouldn’t repeat. One title that is special to me is the road name Twitch.
My road name was given to me due to a neurological condition I have that makes me
tremble and my hands shake. I know, can you believe they gave me a motorcycle
license? Because of this people have always doubted me but worst of all, I grew up
doubting myself. Every step of the way; playing rugby, basic training, war, motherhood,
college, relationships, and all the chapters in-between. I always felt that imposter
syndrome. Maybe it’s the ginger in me. Maybe it’s the soldier in me. Or like my mother
says maybe it’s just pure stubbornness, but I’ve never let my disability stop me from
accomplishing my goals. I have two motivations to driving me in this challenge. One is
to inspire those with disabilities to not limit themselves and accomplish their dreams.
But most importantly it is to nurture my own soul on this journey of self-discovery.
Like many veterans of my generation, I felt the call to serve after watching the
9/11 attacks on TV in high school. I joined the Army in 2003 when I was 17. From my
first day of training, to my last, I was fighting to earn my place and gain respect. I had
never even held a weapon before, much less successfully shot one. Yet there I was
zeroing in my rifle while shaking like a leaf on a windy autumn day. I remember the drill
sergeant yelling “If she can do it, you have no excuse”. It was challenging to say the
least. I probably used twice as many rounds as any other soldier. Nevertheless, I
persevered and earned the title of Soldier.
Of all things possible can you guess what job the Army gave me? A health care
specialist, also known as… a medic. I will never forget the look on the face of the poor
soul that I gave my first IV to. There was this big, tattooed soldier who looked like he
was going to throw up, faint or maybe both. I soaked up every chance I could to train
and better my skills. Ultimately, I conquered my medical skills which came in handy
when I was deployed to Baghdad right in the heart of the surge in 2006. After hundreds
of trauma patients and countless bombings/attacks I truly earned the title of Combat
Medic.
The next chapter in my journey proved to be a difficult one indeed. I struggled to
find my sense of purpose and belonging once I got out of the Army and returned to the
states after six years abroad. I was a single mother putting myself through school. I
worked multiple jobs and joined charity organizations, but something was missing. Then
I rode on the back of a bike during a Patriot Guard ride. The experience was so moving.
It gave me this feeling deep in my gut and every time I rode after that there was that
feeling like a drug.
In 2017 I finally got the courage to take the basic rider course. I had no idea what
to expect. Lord help me, I didn’t even know how to turn a motorcycle on. I remember
wanting to bolt out the door when the guy that sat in front of me had on a Sturgis shirt
from the year I was born! I held in there with that little Street 500 though. I must have
stalled at least 100 times, but I passed the course and later that year I got my first
motorcycle, a Sportster. I had to modify the bike because of my tremors so I installed a
custom clutch.
With less than 500 miles in the seat I set out on my first cross-country trip. As I
watched the landscape change around me I felt a sense of true freedom, one that I am
not sure I had ever felt before in my life. My second cross-country trip on the Sportster
was a completely different experience to say the least. I faced the most torrential
downpours I have ever rode or drove in. That ride is when I truly felt like I earned the
title of Biker. That year I put 10,000 miles on that Sportster but bigger goals required a
bigger bike. So I bought a retired Kansas City Police bike. The police bike was beat to
hell and had 70,000 miles on it. I tore it apart, rebuilt it, and had it painted pastel pink.
After 10,000 miles, and winning every bike show I entered I set my sights on a new
adventure, the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge. I have two motivations to compete in
this challenge. One is to inspire those with disabilities to not limit themselves and
accomplish their dreams. But most importantly it is to nurture my own soul on this
journey of self-discovery.
My charity:
Riding changed my life in such a meaningful way. I wanted to give the
opportunity to another veteran. So I donated the pink Harley in my friend Stacie ‘Pinky’
Sulfaro’s memory to a charity who gifts bikes to veterans. I would like to continue
supporting bikes for veterans during this journey. So for this Hoka Hey Challenge I have
chosen to support Combat Hero Bike Build. They build custom, adaptive, showroom-
quality motorcycles for servicemen and women that were catastrophically injured in the
line of duty.
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