"Why Not?" ... Wisdom from "Papa Wheely"

This is Lonn.

AKA "Papa Wheely"

His son and daughter-in-law hosted me during my weeklong stay in Davenport Iowa on the Awake My Sole journey.  

I met him last week at the Silvis parade.

fire trucks in the parade passing by

Lonn wheels around rolling on a motorized cart.  He actually looks pretty rad in it.  Going down hills, he can travel at a high speed.  He joked about how I should get one for the Awake My Sole journey.

Anywho, after the parade, I got to chat with Lonn, and I asked him "Why he was in the motorized cart?"

He said, "Several years ago, a drunk driver hit my vehicle at a high speed.  After the accident,  six different doctors told my wife I was going to die."

Wow!  What a story.

His life was dramatically altered after the accident.


During my short time with him, he was fun to be around: he cracked jokes, made people laugh and complimented me on "how tall I was."

I shared with him a little bit about the Awake My Sole journey, and I asked him, "What wisdom would you share with others about your story?"

He said, "You are only limited by your mind."

"I like to fish, and I've rigged up a way to go fishing. I didn't allow my disability to stop me from doing what I love to do.  If you love to run, and you are disabled, you are gonna find a way to run."

Lonn fishing

I was surprised by our conversation, he wasn't angry or bitter towards the drunk driver who hit him.  In fact, he was happy, hopeful and a very encouraging person to chat with.


Some more wisdom he shared: 

"When someone asks you 'WHY?' ask them 'WHY NOT?' "

This actually reminded me of the movie "We Bought A Zoo."  Everyone asks the guy why he bought a rundown zoo:

1. Kelly Foster: Why did you buy this place?
2. Benjamin Mee: Why not?

1. 
   

On the Awake My Sole journey, a lot of people ask, "Why are you running across the state of Iowa?"

My new response "Why not run across the state of Iowa?"

Thank you Lonn for the words of wisdom and wonderful fun-filled onversation.

A side NOTE:  Lonn is attempting to WIN a vehicle that will help him get around.  If you are able to VOTE for him, that would be much appreciated (CLICK HERE).

Description from the LONG LOVE CARS CONTEST
Navy veteran Lonn Cunningham survived political turmoil in the Philippines and the first Gulf War but he was no match for a drunk driver traveling 145 miles per hour. Despite being a quadriplegic bilateral amputee Lonn has a long list of places to go and people to see. He’d like to get back to volunteering in his local community and attending PVA events, usually a 2-3 hour drive from his home. He also wants to visit the WWII Memorial and other historic sites in Washington D.C. But more than anything; Lonn would like to be able to travel to the local high school to see his 17-year-old daughter graduate. “It would allow me to make as many memories as possible while my daughter is still home. That would make me truly happy.”