Greg is Taking Matters into his Own Hands-Literally

Greg Damerow was just 18 years old when he was diagnosed with AS, or ankylosing spondylitis. The pain began in most of his large joints especially in the hip and shoulder bones. Because of AS, he was bed ridden for almost two whole years. Although he never played any sports, before he was diagnosed with AS, Greg had developed a love for bike riding. After he regained his ability to walk, he took up bike riding again however this time in in a new way. Because Greg could not feel his hips, he was only able to walk using his knees and legs displaying a very "awkward gait." So Greg took it upon himself to learn how to use a hand cycle, where he could get around faster. Greg remained very positive during his struggles with AS and he looked to God for help, "God has not promised us perfection in this life and he has not promised it will be easy. Rather than question why me, the question was: What is God trying to teach me? What am I supposed to do with the life that I have?" Because Greg had experience in the engineering field, he was able to design his own hand cycle. The typical ones sold for $2,000, something Greg could not afford. So, instead of giving up he designed his own bike, and built it. Since he built his own bike, he opened a company making hand cycles and hopes to compete in the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. 


John Johnston, the author of Disabled Cyclist Takes Matters into His Own Hands wrote the article very professionally with logos, ethos, and pathos. He used logos when describing AS and I think he gave the perfect amount of information about the disease because it was obvious from the beginning that he was writing about Greg's successes not setbacks. He used ethos when talking about Greg's strong intentions to start a company, he wanted to help others who were unable to help themselves. Greg felt very fortunate to be able to recover some of his losses from AS and felt he should give back. The whole article contained pathos especially when Greg was talking about his faith and everyday struggles with AS. It was amazing to read about how successful Greg has been when he had every reason in the book not to be. 

Disabled Cyclist Takes Matters into His Own Hands by John Johnston

http://yourlife.usatoday.com/health/story/2012-02-04/Disabled-cyclist-takes-matters-into-his-own-hands/52966416/1