00:00:01.097 --> 00:00:07.117
Kevin Lowe: There are moments in life that don't just change your path, but rather change how you see life.
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Kevin Lowe: And it does seem like that there's some people, some of us, who don't just experience
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Kevin Lowe: one of these moments in our lives, but rather seem like they just keep coming
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Kevin Lowe: again and again and again.
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Kevin Lowe: I'm talking about loss, heartbreak, unexpected tragedy, and the kind of decisions
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Kevin Lowe: that most people hope they never have to make.
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Kevin Lowe: Today's conversation is one of those stories because today's guest,
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Kevin Lowe: Colin Potts, he's been faced with these situations his entire life.
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Kevin Lowe: By his early 30s, Colin had already lost siblings, parents, grandparents.
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Kevin Lowe: And just when life had asked everything of him emotionally, it would ask even more physically.
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Kevin Lowe: What started out as just an injury would lead to complications,
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Kevin Lowe: to surgeries, to countless doctor's visits, all leading up to that moment when
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Kevin Lowe: he heard the words that no one would want to hear.
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Kevin Lowe: Amputation. You'll never walk again. Your life is going to be forever changed.
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Kevin Lowe: Now, that may sound like words that would mean the story was going to end.
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Kevin Lowe: But in fact, it was just words that a new chapter was about to begin.
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Kevin Lowe: My friend, this conversation, it's not just about loss.
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Kevin Lowe: Instead, it's about what loss can reveal within us all. It's a reminder that
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Kevin Lowe: we're capable of more than we realize.
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Kevin Lowe: It's a reminder that even though you may think everything is falling apart in
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Kevin Lowe: your life, even though it may feel like nothing is working out.
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Kevin Lowe: My friend, sometimes all you have to do is just take one more step.
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Kevin Lowe: Today's conversation is one of the most incredible interviews I've ever recorded on this podcast.
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Kevin Lowe: It's going to pull at your heartstrings. It's going to have you tearing up.
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Kevin Lowe: It's going to leave you in disbelief.
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Kevin Lowe: It's going to leave you empowered, inspired, motivated.
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Kevin Lowe: My friend, this interview, I guarantee you, is going to change you.
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Kevin Lowe: This is episode 440 of Grit, Grace, and Inspiration. I'm your host, Kevin Lowe.
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Kevin Lowe: My friend, it is an absolute honor to have you here, and I can't wait for you
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Kevin Lowe: to get to hear this interview, my conversation, with our guest today, Colin Potts.
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Kevin Lowe: Welcome to the podcast.
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Colin Potts: What if it all works out? I'm going to live.
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Kevin Lowe: Up, my friend, and welcome back to Grit, Grace, and Inspiration.
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Kevin Lowe: Today, I have the honor of being in the studio with a guy named Colin Potts.
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Kevin Lowe: Colin, welcome to the podcast.
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Colin Potts: Oh, thank you so much, Kevin. It's a real, real honor to be with you this morning.
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Kevin Lowe: Yeah, well, I'm excited to have you here. I'm excited to dive into your story.
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Kevin Lowe: What I would love to do is ask you kind of in perspective of the listener,
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Kevin Lowe: For the person who's listening today, who listens to your full story,
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Kevin Lowe: who really kind of just really takes to heart everything you're sharing today.
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Kevin Lowe: What do you hope that they walk away with?
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Colin Potts: That's a great question. My goal every day, the very first thing I say to myself
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Colin Potts: is when I wake up is I want to give one person hope today.
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Colin Potts: So I hope whoever's listening, they're inspired and through this podcast and
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Colin Potts: listening and hearing my story that they're filled with hope.
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Colin Potts: And that's just that's how I want to live my life. And it's really important to me.
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Colin Potts: And just to help people realize that you can overcome any adversity in your
00:04:25.107 --> 00:04:30.067
Colin Potts: life, you know, believe in faith in yourself, faith in God and a positive mindset.
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Colin Potts: And that's certainly what's gotten me through all the ups and downs of my journey
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Colin Potts: and lots of loss, but lots of blessings as well.
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Kevin Lowe: Yeah, I love it so much. Well, we will aim to deliver on that.
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Kevin Lowe: And so, Colin, where I guess I would love to start is basically just going back
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Kevin Lowe: to the beginning, because one thing that I'm kind of interested to learn a little
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Kevin Lowe: bit more about was you come from a really big family.
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Kevin Lowe: I believe you were one of eight. And so I would love to hear a little bit about
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Kevin Lowe: growing up in such a big family.
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Colin Potts: Yeah, I was the youngest of eight.
00:05:05.352 --> 00:05:09.692
Colin Potts: So we were always in a group setting everywhere we went, every dinner.
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Colin Potts: And it was it was a lot of fun. And, you know, I saw so much being the youngest
00:05:15.592 --> 00:05:21.632
Colin Potts: because, you know, we're kind of straddling the 60s and the 70s, you know, time frame.
00:05:21.832 --> 00:05:25.412
Colin Potts: So you saw a lot of people and kind of what they were going through.
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Colin Potts: And it's all of a sudden the pushback on religion and all of a sudden the pushback
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Colin Potts: on family and those values that my parents had grown up with in that generation.
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Colin Potts: But it was always fun. The holidays were always fun. I was always stuck at the
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Colin Potts: card table in the last spot in the living room as we lined up multiple tables
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Colin Potts: throughout kind of the dining room into the hallway and around.
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Colin Potts: But I learned so much and so much about dynamics and learned to be a really
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Colin Potts: good listener at a young age.
00:05:55.232 --> 00:06:00.692
Colin Potts: And that has served me well in everything I do and especially in my career.
00:06:00.892 --> 00:06:05.852
Colin Potts: But it's also it's a great gift when you really truly listen to people and they
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Colin Potts: felt heard. And by doing so, you kind of give them that gift of knowing that
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Colin Potts: they're important and that that I love to do.
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Kevin Lowe: Yeah, I love it. Now, besides for the siblings, did you grow up in a family
00:06:18.992 --> 00:06:23.112
Kevin Lowe: like did you guys have a big family as far as, you know, grandparents,
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Kevin Lowe: aunts, uncles, cousins, that kind of thing?
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Colin Potts: Yeah, we did. And unfortunately, we lost my grandparents, all my grandparents,
00:06:32.587 --> 00:06:34.787
Colin Potts: probably by the time I was 20.
00:06:35.087 --> 00:06:38.667
Colin Potts: So over time, you know, those kind of things were happening fast.
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Colin Potts: And, you know, that's part of being a big family.
00:06:41.727 --> 00:06:46.947
Colin Potts: So we had those experiences, but those experiences waned over time, unfortunately.
00:06:47.307 --> 00:06:53.907
Colin Potts: And those moments and those people in my life, I really do miss because they had so much to share.
00:06:53.907 --> 00:06:56.827
Colin Potts: And they're at that age where you really want to listen. And I was at that age
00:06:56.827 --> 00:07:00.847
Colin Potts: where you really, really want to listen because they have that experience that
00:07:00.847 --> 00:07:06.027
Colin Potts: you want to take with you every day because it's special. And those are the conversations I miss.
00:07:06.767 --> 00:07:12.527
Kevin Lowe: Yeah, without a doubt, truly the most invaluable life lesson to ever learn,
00:07:12.727 --> 00:07:17.327
Kevin Lowe: I believe, all come from the older generations. So that's amazing.
00:07:18.147 --> 00:07:23.327
Kevin Lowe: Now, for you and your siblings, what was kind of the age range?
00:07:23.327 --> 00:07:26.447
Kevin Lowe: You were the youngest. So how old was the oldest?
00:07:26.847 --> 00:07:33.867
Colin Potts: It was basically a 12 year span. You know, it was my oldest brother was 12 years older than myself.
00:07:34.067 --> 00:07:38.767
Colin Potts: So it was my parents were pretty quick to get child after child after child.
00:07:39.067 --> 00:07:44.927
Colin Potts: But definitely, you know, 60s, 70s, a little bit difference in that where I
00:07:44.927 --> 00:07:46.607
Colin Potts: kind of grew up more in the 70s.
00:07:46.867 --> 00:07:51.607
Colin Potts: But the family dynamic, the elders, the kids kind of stayed together and the
00:07:51.607 --> 00:07:56.807
Colin Potts: younger ones, Brian and the three youngest, we're always together and doing our thing.
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Kevin Lowe: Yeah. Yeah. I love it. I love it. Well, Colin, as we're going to learn today,
00:08:03.066 --> 00:08:08.086
Kevin Lowe: you've had to endure a lot of loss in your life of the people who matter most, family.
00:08:08.306 --> 00:08:15.326
Kevin Lowe: And I believe you were still just basically a child, maybe like high school
00:08:15.326 --> 00:08:19.906
Kevin Lowe: age, when you lost one of your brothers.
00:08:20.206 --> 00:08:23.826
Kevin Lowe: Would you mind sharing with me a bit about that story?
00:08:23.826 --> 00:08:27.326
Colin Potts: Yeah, and I think it kind of just has a
00:08:27.856 --> 00:08:32.716
Colin Potts: 70,000 foot perspective. So by the time I was 33, I'd lost all my grandparents,
00:08:32.976 --> 00:08:34.876
Colin Potts: parents, and two siblings.
00:08:35.496 --> 00:08:41.956
Colin Potts: And so the brother I lost, the first one I lost was my senior year of high school.
00:08:42.176 --> 00:08:46.436
Colin Potts: And he had had issues, you know, kind of in and out of halfway houses,
00:08:46.436 --> 00:08:50.796
Colin Potts: had done a lot of the drugs and a lot of those things, you know,
00:08:50.876 --> 00:08:54.556
Colin Potts: just that timeframe of pushing back on family and values.
00:08:54.556 --> 00:08:58.936
Colin Potts: You know, he was kind of the leader of that in many ways. And he took his life.
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Colin Potts: I got a phone call from him the night before and he said, I'll never talk to you again.
00:09:03.816 --> 00:09:10.196
Colin Potts: And he always played and always had a, you know, the gift of the golden tongue, as my mother would say.
00:09:10.436 --> 00:09:13.916
Colin Potts: So you really never knew when he was serious or not. And I just was like,
00:09:14.236 --> 00:09:17.156
Colin Potts: oh, yeah, I'll talk to you tomorrow type thing.
00:09:17.376 --> 00:09:22.296
Colin Potts: And he had been struggling a lot. And then the next morning at three o'clock
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Colin Potts: in the morning, my bedroom was in the front of the house. And all of a sudden,
00:09:25.996 --> 00:09:29.316
Colin Potts: there's lights outside and there's a knock at the door and it was the police.
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Colin Potts: And they told me, you know, my brother Kevin had died and he had taken his life.
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Colin Potts: He had jumped off a bridge in Washington, D.C.
00:09:37.336 --> 00:09:43.296
Colin Potts: And it was stunning, you know, just because you just don't. That's not what you expect.
00:09:43.896 --> 00:09:49.216
Colin Potts: And it hit hard. And then my parents came around the hallway and the sadness
00:09:49.216 --> 00:09:55.456
Colin Potts: that came out of their cries and everything of losing a child was something
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Colin Potts: I just will never forget. That's not supposed to happen like that.
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Colin Potts: And, you know, children are supposed to outlive, you know, parents.
00:10:02.276 --> 00:10:06.216
Colin Potts: And, you know, it was just that that whole sense of what happened.
00:10:06.336 --> 00:10:09.876
Colin Potts: And you kind of I think they always lived in fear of it.
00:10:09.976 --> 00:10:14.316
Colin Potts: But when something like that happens and you you feel it, it's something I'll
00:10:14.316 --> 00:10:17.196
Colin Potts: never forget. And I remember my father, I started crying.
00:10:17.336 --> 00:10:21.036
Colin Potts: He's like, you're not allowed to cry. And you're just not allowed to cry right now.
00:10:21.196 --> 00:10:24.716
Colin Potts: I remember going to school that morning and I didn't realize that
00:10:25.183 --> 00:10:29.043
Colin Potts: All of this was on the local radio station. They announced all that kind of stuff.
00:10:29.223 --> 00:10:33.563
Colin Potts: And then you go into school and everyone's looking at you like,
00:10:33.743 --> 00:10:35.743
Colin Potts: oh, my God, it's suicide and your family.
00:10:35.983 --> 00:10:40.243
Colin Potts: And that was a very taboo topic and in many ways still is.
00:10:40.383 --> 00:10:43.843
Colin Potts: But there's more discussion today about it.
00:10:43.943 --> 00:10:48.663
Colin Potts: And it's a serious issue, you know, that people try to sweep under the rug,
00:10:48.883 --> 00:10:49.983
Colin Potts: but that doesn't make sense.
00:10:50.223 --> 00:10:54.563
Colin Potts: And, you know, mental health is just so important. But it was really a tough
00:10:54.563 --> 00:10:59.003
Colin Potts: time. and getting through that and then the funeral and really kind of,
00:10:59.143 --> 00:11:01.243
Colin Potts: I'd never been knocked like that before.
00:11:01.643 --> 00:11:06.203
Colin Potts: And sitting in a cemetery and doing that, my first go at that and going to a
00:11:06.203 --> 00:11:08.243
Colin Potts: morgue and, you know, doing all those things.
00:11:08.743 --> 00:11:12.543
Colin Potts: It was life altering in many ways, but certainly a lot of sadness.
00:11:12.543 --> 00:11:16.883
Colin Potts: And it was in February and it was, I'll never forget sitting at the cemetery.
00:11:16.883 --> 00:11:18.583
Colin Potts: It was cold and it was hard.
00:11:18.763 --> 00:11:22.943
Colin Potts: And there was a lot to deal with at that point. My father was giving up smoking
00:11:22.943 --> 00:11:24.723
Colin Potts: cold turkey at the same time.
00:11:24.983 --> 00:11:29.003
Colin Potts: And life at home was rough. And then many of the friends and people I had at
00:11:29.003 --> 00:11:32.323
Colin Potts: school, you know, just walked away and stayed away.
00:11:32.463 --> 00:11:36.743
Colin Potts: So it was really a time of isolation in my life. And I, it was,
00:11:36.863 --> 00:11:39.883
Colin Potts: it was tough and it was supposed to be a celebratory year and,
00:11:40.043 --> 00:11:42.183
Colin Potts: you know, you're leaving high school and going to college.
00:11:42.203 --> 00:11:47.663
Colin Potts: And I ended up going away to school because it was just, I needed to go away at that point.
00:11:47.843 --> 00:11:51.323
Colin Potts: So, but it taught me a really good lesson. and it's okay to start over,
00:11:51.403 --> 00:11:54.283
Colin Potts: and it's good to start over, and you should start over.
00:11:54.683 --> 00:12:01.243
Colin Potts: And it kind of empowered me to kind of turn my life and move in a more positive direction.
00:12:01.823 --> 00:12:09.503
Kevin Lowe: Yeah, wow. You said something that I would love to ask you if you wouldn't mind to expand a little upon.
00:12:09.703 --> 00:12:15.163
Kevin Lowe: You said that your dad had said something to the effect of you're not allowed
00:12:15.163 --> 00:12:17.443
Kevin Lowe: to cry right now. What did that mean?
00:12:17.443 --> 00:12:24.543
Colin Potts: I think my dad was a very emotional guy and I think for him,
00:12:25.363 --> 00:12:32.183
Colin Potts: It was seeing me emote on that level that made him extremely sad and made him
00:12:32.183 --> 00:12:36.803
Colin Potts: hurt more in a situation where he was really hurting, obviously.
00:12:37.123 --> 00:12:40.883
Colin Potts: And I think it was just controlling, trying to control his emotion.
00:12:41.123 --> 00:12:45.323
Colin Potts: But it was something that I'll never forget that I wish he kind of hadn't said because...
00:12:46.240 --> 00:12:50.560
Colin Potts: You should emote those things and you should, you know, express those feelings
00:12:50.560 --> 00:12:55.820
Colin Potts: and have that because it was very, very stoic to to get through it all.
00:12:56.020 --> 00:13:01.580
Colin Potts: And and I understood that in a sense. But at the same time, I don't know, I was full of emotion.
00:13:01.820 --> 00:13:05.920
Colin Potts: And it's hard when someone tells you to be emotional, especially in a situation like that.
00:13:06.700 --> 00:13:12.780
Kevin Lowe: Yeah. Yeah. One hundred percent. did you have any of your your siblings who
00:13:12.780 --> 00:13:18.800
Kevin Lowe: maybe you were the closest to who really kind of leaned on each other after the loss of your brother.
00:13:18.800 --> 00:13:23.860
Colin Potts: I think everyone did you know my older siblings were closer you know in terms
00:13:23.860 --> 00:13:28.600
Colin Potts: of their age and kind of their experiences and then um you know i think we leaned
00:13:28.600 --> 00:13:34.160
Colin Potts: on my two uh brothers closest in age and then like i said it was it was going
00:13:34.160 --> 00:13:36.280
Colin Potts: away at that point and starting new.
00:13:36.500 --> 00:13:42.700
Colin Potts: And it was the first time that springtime meant something so new for me and that renewal.
00:13:43.000 --> 00:13:46.960
Colin Potts: And, you know, after a cold February and that happening, and then kind of seeing
00:13:46.960 --> 00:13:51.240
Colin Potts: life come back again was the first time I really kind of focused on that.
00:13:51.400 --> 00:13:56.160
Colin Potts: For me, that was a whole new lesson. So I think everyone kind of helped each other.
00:13:56.440 --> 00:14:01.280
Colin Potts: I was very close to my mom as well. So I think, you know, everyone was concerned.
00:14:01.280 --> 00:14:03.340
Colin Potts: And she was always great.
00:14:03.500 --> 00:14:06.700
Colin Potts: She was the strength and kind of the glue of the family. So I leaned on her
00:14:06.700 --> 00:14:11.440
Colin Potts: a lot because I was home and everyone else was living away from home at that point.
00:14:12.260 --> 00:14:18.080
Kevin Lowe: Okay, okay. Well, speaking of your mom, that actually segues perfect into my
00:14:18.080 --> 00:14:21.560
Kevin Lowe: next question was the kind of blows keep coming.
00:14:21.700 --> 00:14:25.780
Kevin Lowe: I don't know how far down the line this would be from the loss of your brother,
00:14:25.940 --> 00:14:31.060
Kevin Lowe: but you would end up caring for your mom through quite a long period of time.
00:14:31.280 --> 00:14:35.520
Kevin Lowe: Would you walk me through that kind of chapter in your story?
00:14:36.373 --> 00:14:41.813
Colin Potts: Sure. And where that fell in was my brother had passed away in 1985.
00:14:42.113 --> 00:14:45.973
Colin Potts: My father passed away on Valentine's Day in 1989.
00:14:46.313 --> 00:14:49.253
Colin Potts: My sister had passed away in 1991.
00:14:49.953 --> 00:14:53.233
Colin Potts: Grandparents all the way around and through that period. And then,
00:14:53.353 --> 00:14:59.273
Colin Potts: you know, my mom was amazing because she kept moving forward in her life after all that loss.
00:14:59.433 --> 00:15:04.373
Colin Potts: And, you know, that was three children she lost and her husband and just had
00:15:04.373 --> 00:15:09.573
Colin Potts: an incredible outlook on life and positive outlook, which I learned so much from.
00:15:10.333 --> 00:15:16.053
Colin Potts: And she was good. She was moving her life forward. And then she wasn't feeling well.
00:15:16.173 --> 00:15:22.193
Colin Potts: And she went down to Georgetown Hospital and pretty quickly they diagnosed her with leukemia.
00:15:22.553 --> 00:15:28.653
Colin Potts: And even with that, she had grown up with polio and scarlet fever and all those things.
00:15:28.853 --> 00:15:34.333
Colin Potts: So she She was a real trooper in the sense of just, she had battled through a lot in her whole life.
00:15:34.613 --> 00:15:37.653
Colin Potts: And so I ended up taking care of her for six years.
00:15:37.913 --> 00:15:44.353
Colin Potts: It was an amazing experience because she taught me so much about faith and two types of faith.
00:15:44.653 --> 00:15:48.233
Colin Potts: And she, three days before she passed, she asked me the question,
00:15:48.770 --> 00:15:52.230
Colin Potts: How are you going to move forward in your life? And I've been your cause for
00:15:52.230 --> 00:15:55.170
Colin Potts: six years. And all of a sudden, you're going to have a void.
00:15:55.330 --> 00:15:58.070
Colin Potts: How are you going to fill that void? How are you going to build your life back?
00:15:58.230 --> 00:15:59.930
Colin Potts: How are you going to be a happy person again?
00:16:00.130 --> 00:16:03.090
Colin Potts: And really taught me so much in that.
00:16:03.330 --> 00:16:07.790
Colin Potts: And one of the famous lines and one of the best things that we ever talked about
00:16:07.790 --> 00:16:12.870
Colin Potts: one day was I went over and she was in a really bad mood that day,
00:16:12.970 --> 00:16:17.870
Colin Potts: which was not like her at all. Usually if she was upset about something, she was very quiet.
00:16:18.050 --> 00:16:21.630
Colin Potts: But she said, well, I'm losing all of my independence.
00:16:21.850 --> 00:16:28.310
Colin Potts: And she said, I don't like it. You know, I feel like my life is kind of falling
00:16:28.310 --> 00:16:30.730
Colin Potts: through my hands and I can't stop it.
00:16:31.030 --> 00:16:34.390
Colin Potts: And she said, so how are you going to fix this, Mr. Positivity?
00:16:34.570 --> 00:16:38.190
Colin Potts: So I left and I said, well, I want to go back home and think about this.
00:16:38.310 --> 00:16:42.550
Colin Potts: And I needed some time to kind of digest that. So I go back the next day and
00:16:42.550 --> 00:16:43.910
Colin Potts: she's like, do you have an answer, Mr.
00:16:44.190 --> 00:16:49.250
Colin Potts: Positivity? And I said, wait a minute. I said, all right, so we're still in the same bad mood.
00:16:51.690 --> 00:16:57.250
Colin Potts: And she said, well, Colin, I can't be Sister Mary Sunshine every damn day.
00:16:57.430 --> 00:17:01.490
Colin Potts: And so I had to laugh because we grew up Catholic and Sister Mary Sunshine was
00:17:01.490 --> 00:17:02.930
Colin Potts: one of the funniest things she ever said.
00:17:03.610 --> 00:17:08.950
Colin Potts: So I really enjoyed that part. But I said, I have a really good idea,
00:17:09.170 --> 00:17:15.090
Colin Potts: but I need you to dive into it with me 120%. And you need to say yes now.
00:17:15.330 --> 00:17:18.630
Colin Potts: And she looked at me like, okay, this is crazy.
00:17:18.890 --> 00:17:23.110
Colin Potts: Why am I saying yes to something that I haven't even heard? And I said, you have to trust me.
00:17:24.986 --> 00:17:29.326
Colin Potts: All right, I'm in. So I said, just because things are different doesn't mean they can't be good.
00:17:29.546 --> 00:17:33.026
Colin Potts: I said, we're going to focus on what you have. We're going to focus and not
00:17:33.026 --> 00:17:34.266
Colin Potts: worry about what you don't have.
00:17:34.366 --> 00:17:39.046
Colin Potts: We're going to focus on what you can do and not worry about what you can't do.
00:17:39.306 --> 00:17:43.406
Colin Potts: And so she was kind of amazed by that. And she said, well, how does it apply to me?
00:17:43.526 --> 00:17:49.166
Colin Potts: And I said, you know, we're going to make sure that what's the best time of the day for you?
00:17:49.266 --> 00:17:51.946
Colin Potts: She said, mornings. I said, all appointments in the morning.
00:17:52.106 --> 00:17:55.246
Colin Potts: So what time do you want to be in bed? because she was going through chemo and
00:17:55.246 --> 00:17:59.406
Colin Potts: she was exhausted and, and that she's like five, five 30. And I said, okay.
00:17:59.786 --> 00:18:03.186
Colin Potts: And I said, what are the other things that are stressing you out right now?
00:18:03.246 --> 00:18:05.706
Colin Potts: And she's like, well, when people come and stay and bring their kids,
00:18:06.186 --> 00:18:09.966
Colin Potts: you know, I got to do three meals and just people are up late and the noise.
00:18:10.146 --> 00:18:13.806
Colin Potts: And so I said, okay, well, we'll just tell people they, they can stay at a hotel
00:18:13.806 --> 00:18:16.886
Colin Potts: and you know, you can't do those things anymore.
00:18:17.386 --> 00:18:22.486
Colin Potts: So it was, it was really a fascinating deal because she really bought into this.
00:18:22.766 --> 00:18:27.446
Colin Potts: And so as we changed her schedule, you know, she, she started to pick up energy
00:18:27.446 --> 00:18:29.666
Colin Potts: again and a different outlook.
00:18:29.966 --> 00:18:35.186
Colin Potts: And it was, it was great because things were being taken away in her mind,
00:18:35.206 --> 00:18:38.046
Colin Potts: but she still had a lot of life to live, I felt.
00:18:38.226 --> 00:18:42.406
Colin Potts: And so by doing this, we extended her runway in terms of what she could do.
00:18:42.586 --> 00:18:47.326
Colin Potts: And, you know, and if instead of doing dinners, we would go to lunches and brunches
00:18:47.326 --> 00:18:50.206
Colin Potts: and things like that where she could shine.
00:18:50.446 --> 00:18:54.386
Colin Potts: And so by allowing her to shine again and let her be at her best,
00:18:54.546 --> 00:18:59.646
Colin Potts: it reinstilled her confidence. And so for me, it was fascinating and that whole thing.
00:18:59.866 --> 00:19:04.466
Colin Potts: And she went back to the doctor like five, six weeks later and she's like,
00:19:04.606 --> 00:19:07.606
Colin Potts: did you, are you on some kind of medication or something?
00:19:07.706 --> 00:19:10.326
Colin Potts: She said, no, we reorganized my life.
00:19:10.446 --> 00:19:15.746
Colin Potts: And she said, go hang out with this guy for a little while, because he's got a lot of good ideas.
00:19:16.086 --> 00:19:20.006
Colin Potts: So that was just a really powerful thing, and I think about that,
00:19:20.146 --> 00:19:21.626
Colin Potts: I've carried that forward in my life.
00:19:21.846 --> 00:19:24.466
Colin Potts: And if you think about that lesson, just because things are different,
00:19:24.995 --> 00:19:28.795
Colin Potts: doesn't mean they can't be good. And because we as human beings don't like,
00:19:28.955 --> 00:19:30.095
Colin Potts: most of us don't like change.
00:19:30.295 --> 00:19:35.375
Colin Potts: You know, the only constant life really is change. So embracing things and, you know,
00:19:35.595 --> 00:19:39.255
Colin Potts: working with things that are thrown your way, you still can do a lot of great
00:19:39.255 --> 00:19:43.575
Colin Potts: things in your life and you can get knocked down, but you can still pivot and
00:19:43.575 --> 00:19:45.915
Colin Potts: have joy and happiness in your life.
00:19:46.375 --> 00:19:55.835
Kevin Lowe: Wow. It's so funny because one of the strongest kind of mindset things that
00:19:55.835 --> 00:19:59.975
Kevin Lowe: I oftentimes remind myself of is exactly what you just said.
00:20:00.215 --> 00:20:04.995
Kevin Lowe: It's even though things might not be like we thought they were going to be,
00:20:05.195 --> 00:20:10.875
Kevin Lowe: even though they might not have gone to plan, it doesn't mean that they still can't be great.
00:20:12.050 --> 00:20:20.470
Kevin Lowe: And so to hear you talk about that, I just lit up as you're sharing that story, because it is so true.
00:20:21.070 --> 00:20:26.330
Colin Potts: Yeah, it really is. And I like I said, I've carried it forward, you know, in my life.
00:20:26.450 --> 00:20:28.230
Colin Potts: And and that was the second to
00:20:28.230 --> 00:20:32.210
Colin Potts: last thing she said to me right before she passed and barely could talk.
00:20:32.430 --> 00:20:38.170
Colin Potts: And in the smile, when she said it, because it really had been a huge bonding
00:20:38.170 --> 00:20:44.450
Colin Potts: moment for us. and really having her trust me with all of that and basically
00:20:44.450 --> 00:20:45.530
Colin Potts: kind of changing everything.
00:20:45.770 --> 00:20:51.550
Colin Potts: I don't know. It's an experience that I cherish in my soul because that's how
00:20:51.550 --> 00:20:56.330
Colin Potts: close we became when someone, they know you're in it for the right reason and
00:20:56.330 --> 00:20:58.230
Colin Potts: everyone's vulnerable, right?
00:20:58.350 --> 00:21:01.670
Colin Potts: But that's where love goes to a whole nother level in relationships.
00:21:01.670 --> 00:21:06.730
Colin Potts: And it's not woe is me, it's what are we gonna do to make this better and give
00:21:06.730 --> 00:21:12.150
Colin Potts: her a quality of life when things were changing rapidly and bringing that smile
00:21:12.150 --> 00:21:14.130
Colin Potts: back and bringing that joy back.
00:21:14.290 --> 00:21:16.750
Colin Potts: And she had just the warmest smile.
00:21:16.990 --> 00:21:21.210
Colin Potts: And seeing that come back to me was probably, it was one of the most wonderful
00:21:21.210 --> 00:21:27.090
Colin Potts: experiences because she was one of those lights in life that she needed to smile.
00:21:27.250 --> 00:21:29.410
Colin Potts: She made this world a better place when she smiled.
00:21:29.670 --> 00:21:35.890
Colin Potts: And so having seen that come back was so, so meaningful.
00:21:36.450 --> 00:21:42.390
Kevin Lowe: Yeah. Yeah. Wow. Now, during that six-year period, how old were you?
00:21:42.650 --> 00:21:49.430
Colin Potts: I was in my, started in my late 20s and into my early 30s.
00:21:50.301 --> 00:21:56.441
Kevin Lowe: Wow. You know, that is such, I mean, a six-year time span.
00:21:57.221 --> 00:22:02.581
Kevin Lowe: It's, you know, I mean, in perspective of life, it's short, but it's a big span
00:22:02.581 --> 00:22:06.181
Kevin Lowe: of time, especially in that age that you were.
00:22:06.581 --> 00:22:11.461
Kevin Lowe: How do you feel like that impacted your life moving forward,
00:22:11.841 --> 00:22:16.261
Kevin Lowe: getting to have that opportunity for those six years?
00:22:16.920 --> 00:22:20.100
Colin Potts: It was an amazing experience. And it taught me so much about,
00:22:20.340 --> 00:22:22.660
Colin Potts: you know, I was working on Wall Street.
00:22:23.100 --> 00:22:28.180
Colin Potts: At that point, I was a chef and in what sacrifice means in life for someone else.
00:22:28.460 --> 00:22:32.880
Colin Potts: And I never looked at it as a hardship. I never complained because it was like,
00:22:33.380 --> 00:22:35.460
Colin Potts: She really, truly needed my help.
00:22:35.680 --> 00:22:39.220
Colin Potts: And so for me, I know a lot of people go through that. They're like,
00:22:39.300 --> 00:22:41.080
Colin Potts: this is a burden I have to carry.
00:22:41.280 --> 00:22:47.320
Colin Potts: And I think if you look at it as this is a gift you're giving someone as opposed to any kind of burden.
00:22:47.560 --> 00:22:52.040
Colin Potts: Sure, there was times and I gave up a lot and had to change my schedule and
00:22:52.040 --> 00:22:57.380
Colin Potts: where she was in and out of the hospital a lot and running the hospital and
00:22:57.380 --> 00:23:01.140
Colin Potts: in the middle of the day and all of that was difficult.
00:23:01.140 --> 00:23:07.960
Colin Potts: But at the same time, it was spending those times and really understanding where she was.
00:23:08.200 --> 00:23:12.720
Colin Potts: And then you see how fragile life is once again, you know, when you see someone
00:23:12.720 --> 00:23:17.040
Colin Potts: who's that large of a figure in their life, and this was the second time it
00:23:17.040 --> 00:23:22.320
Colin Potts: was a parent, watching them, you know, just become so vulnerable just because of their health.
00:23:22.560 --> 00:23:26.440
Colin Potts: It's hard because you love them so much and you want to love them enough so
00:23:26.440 --> 00:23:29.460
Colin Potts: that they can stay alive. But, you know, God has this plan.
00:23:29.720 --> 00:23:34.560
Colin Potts: And so it taught me that sacrifice is good in life and what my priorities were
00:23:34.560 --> 00:23:36.200
Colin Potts: in life and taking care of people
00:23:36.200 --> 00:23:39.540
Colin Potts: and all of that was at the forefront and everything else could wait.
00:23:39.760 --> 00:23:43.840
Colin Potts: You know, it's hard to date a lot of people back then because there was a lot
00:23:43.840 --> 00:23:47.200
Colin Potts: to do for mom at night when you're working and doing those things.
00:23:47.360 --> 00:23:50.560
Colin Potts: But at the same time, it was it was the joy of a great relationship.
00:23:50.580 --> 00:23:52.920
Colin Potts: And we had so much fun together.
00:23:53.180 --> 00:23:58.980
Colin Potts: We always did. And and so the lesson she taught me and and just the respect
00:23:58.980 --> 00:24:04.520
Colin Potts: for life, all the things, I just feel like it it shaped my whole thought process
00:24:04.520 --> 00:24:05.840
Colin Potts: moving forward in my life.
00:24:06.000 --> 00:24:10.620
Colin Potts: And when she had that question for me about how was I going to fill the void,
00:24:11.020 --> 00:24:14.660
Colin Potts: you know, there really is a void, so when you're a caretaker and you're out there,
00:24:15.642 --> 00:24:20.882
Colin Potts: It's 24 hours a day you're worrying about someone and mom fell or this happened
00:24:20.882 --> 00:24:24.062
Colin Potts: or she's back in the hospital, I have to go in the ambulance, all these things.
00:24:24.342 --> 00:24:29.742
Colin Potts: And, you know, you look at those instances, it taught me to what my priorities
00:24:29.742 --> 00:24:31.582
Colin Potts: were and that I'm very proud of.
00:24:31.662 --> 00:24:35.702
Colin Potts: And it's never a burden for me to stop and help anyone. And I'll always make
00:24:35.702 --> 00:24:39.102
Colin Potts: that time because that's a great thing in life because we get so busy.
00:24:39.622 --> 00:24:42.782
Colin Potts: And, you know, when you think about when she asked me about the void.
00:24:42.982 --> 00:24:47.402
Colin Potts: I've helped so many people when they lose parents and grandparents and friends.
00:24:47.642 --> 00:24:54.402
Colin Potts: And really, what is that void and having that discussion? And how do you overcome and rebuild your life?
00:24:54.602 --> 00:24:59.982
Colin Potts: Because it is hard because all of a sudden, the music stops and you're like, wait, what do I do?
00:25:00.122 --> 00:25:05.802
Colin Potts: And how do I re-assimilate? You don't realize how invested and how much of your time it takes.
00:25:05.962 --> 00:25:12.122
Colin Potts: And then you have to kind of go through the emotional aspects of grieving and how important that is.
00:25:12.302 --> 00:25:16.402
Colin Potts: But that conversation with her in that situation, I don't know how many people
00:25:16.402 --> 00:25:21.402
Colin Potts: I've been able to talk to and warn people like, hey, just this is coming and
00:25:21.402 --> 00:25:23.142
Colin Potts: this is going to hit you like a two by four.
00:25:23.282 --> 00:25:27.442
Colin Potts: But it's OK to go back to your life. It's OK to be joyful again.
00:25:27.642 --> 00:25:31.382
Colin Potts: It's OK to rebuild yourself and take those steps every day.
00:25:31.782 --> 00:25:36.142
Colin Potts: So that's yeah, those experiences, they're ingrained in me forever.
00:25:36.662 --> 00:25:40.342
Kevin Lowe: Yeah, without a doubt. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow.
00:25:41.342 --> 00:25:48.262
Kevin Lowe: Well, kind of switching gears from emotional loss to talking about physical,
00:25:48.562 --> 00:25:51.722
Kevin Lowe: you ended up having something happen.
00:25:51.882 --> 00:25:56.182
Kevin Lowe: I'm going to be anxious to hear the details of, but some type of accident,
00:25:56.522 --> 00:26:02.402
Kevin Lowe: incident, injury, I think around like 2000 that would really kind of embark
00:26:02.402 --> 00:26:06.562
Kevin Lowe: you on a whole nother type of journey and challenges in life.
00:26:07.180 --> 00:26:12.560
Kevin Lowe: Walk me through what happened that would then kind of lead into the next,
00:26:12.820 --> 00:26:16.540
Kevin Lowe: I think, almost two decades of surgeries and medical issues.
00:26:17.160 --> 00:26:22.200
Colin Potts: Yeah, it was a crazy moment in my life and started a whole new journey.
00:26:22.460 --> 00:26:28.500
Colin Potts: And I was I was a chef and I had done two weddings on a Saturday and I never
00:26:28.500 --> 00:26:29.700
Colin Potts: got a Saturday night off.
00:26:29.860 --> 00:26:36.020
Colin Potts: And no one ever does in culinary. And so I was like, go home and throw a steak
00:26:36.020 --> 00:26:40.660
Colin Potts: on the grill, shorts, T-shirt, just sit and relax because I just never got to do that.
00:26:41.100 --> 00:26:46.100
Colin Potts: And so we lived in, my brother and I lived in a very old house built in the
00:26:46.100 --> 00:26:54.320
Colin Potts: 40s and a very kind of a would be very noncompliant staircase in today's world.
00:26:54.320 --> 00:26:56.300
Colin Potts: We'll leave it like that. Very steep, very sharp.
00:26:56.620 --> 00:27:01.160
Colin Potts: The rises on the step just weren't normal.
00:27:01.520 --> 00:27:05.140
Colin Potts: So back in the day, I used to wear top siders all the time. It was kind of a
00:27:05.140 --> 00:27:06.600
Colin Potts: thing to wear and to do that.
00:27:06.820 --> 00:27:10.660
Colin Potts: But I grew up with abnormally high arches, like freaky high arches.
00:27:10.780 --> 00:27:14.220
Colin Potts: So it was easy for me to turn my ankle and I always had, when I played sports,
00:27:14.340 --> 00:27:15.740
Colin Potts: had to tape and do those things.
00:27:16.040 --> 00:27:20.140
Colin Potts: So I was coming down the stairs and top siders don't have any structure,
00:27:20.400 --> 00:27:25.040
Colin Potts: real structure to them, you know, in that. I took a step down and was coming
00:27:25.040 --> 00:27:27.780
Colin Potts: around the corner to go to the bottom of the staircase.
00:27:28.120 --> 00:27:32.180
Colin Potts: And my ankle gave out. So and then...
00:27:32.324 --> 00:27:40.184
Colin Potts: I went kind of flying down the rest of the stairs and landed on my left ankle and turned and rolled.
00:27:40.464 --> 00:27:44.484
Colin Potts: And all you could hear is everything popped up. And I was like,
00:27:44.624 --> 00:27:46.284
Colin Potts: all right, well, this isn't good.
00:27:46.404 --> 00:27:50.144
Colin Potts: But I was of the generation where it's like rub a little dirt on it and you'll be fine.
00:27:51.364 --> 00:27:55.944
Colin Potts: Here's a straw, kind of suck it up. I mean, that was what we were taught back in the day.
00:27:56.584 --> 00:28:00.984
Colin Potts: I knew something was wrong, but I had two weddings to do the next day and the
00:28:00.984 --> 00:28:04.104
Colin Potts: next morning. And I was like, I'll deal with this tomorrow.
00:28:04.424 --> 00:28:06.384
Colin Potts: And so I went to bed, but then I got up in the middle of the night.
00:28:06.564 --> 00:28:11.724
Colin Potts: And as soon as I put my foot on the floor, I hit the floor because I was in such pain in doing that.
00:28:11.984 --> 00:28:14.924
Colin Potts: Got up and couldn't call out of work with two weddings.
00:28:15.184 --> 00:28:19.744
Colin Potts: And sorry, this has happened when people are really depending on you.
00:28:19.884 --> 00:28:23.764
Colin Potts: So I went into work and barely get a shoe on my foot that I normally wore.
00:28:24.064 --> 00:28:29.924
Colin Potts: And then as the day went, it got worse and worse where I couldn't walk and type
00:28:29.924 --> 00:28:34.704
Colin Potts: thing. So we got through the weddings and, you know, everyone was happy.
00:28:34.704 --> 00:28:38.004
Colin Potts: And I was like, I need to go to the emergency room badly.
00:28:38.284 --> 00:28:42.504
Colin Potts: So I went and then I got paraded by every medical person in there.
00:28:42.624 --> 00:28:47.504
Colin Potts: Like, why did you wait, you know, a full day to come in and get this treated?
00:28:47.664 --> 00:28:52.884
Colin Potts: So along the shores, I had torn tendons, ligaments and broke at least two bones
00:28:52.884 --> 00:28:54.904
Colin Potts: at that point in that fall.
00:28:55.224 --> 00:28:59.244
Colin Potts: So the first thing was surgery, you know, and they had to fix the tendons and
00:28:59.244 --> 00:29:03.524
Colin Potts: do all that kind of stuff. So we started this whole thing and I kept tearing the tendons.
00:29:03.604 --> 00:29:06.124
Colin Potts: And so just by the natural movement of my foot,
00:29:06.596 --> 00:29:11.136
Colin Potts: And then we started stacking up surgeries and the calcaneus osteotomy where
00:29:11.136 --> 00:29:12.976
Colin Potts: they cut the heel and rotate the foot.
00:29:13.216 --> 00:29:17.456
Colin Potts: That threw off a whole bunch of things. And over time, they just kept opening
00:29:17.456 --> 00:29:20.436
Colin Potts: up my whole leg and it looked like a zipper on it.
00:29:20.616 --> 00:29:25.676
Colin Potts: And you had scar tissue and nerve issues and everything started to become more complex.
00:29:25.976 --> 00:29:30.576
Colin Potts: And so I started going to different physicians, different foot and ankle specialists
00:29:30.576 --> 00:29:33.956
Colin Potts: up and down the East Coast to try to get the best, you know,
00:29:34.496 --> 00:29:40.216
Colin Potts: Long term care. care so that I could put this to bed. But with every surgery became more issues.
00:29:40.556 --> 00:29:45.376
Colin Potts: Fast forward, you know, all of a sudden it's like ankles giving out again.
00:29:45.756 --> 00:29:50.796
Colin Potts: And they're like, well, we want to send you up to HSS hospital for special surgery in New York.
00:29:51.116 --> 00:29:56.056
Colin Potts: You know, they ended up doing fusions and more plates and more screws and everything else.
00:29:56.276 --> 00:30:03.336
Colin Potts: And so all of a sudden we're at like surgery number 16 and I'm still in pain
00:30:03.336 --> 00:30:04.876
Colin Potts: and I still can't function.
00:30:05.116 --> 00:30:07.396
Colin Potts: And people are like, well, why did you continue to have surgeries?
00:30:07.476 --> 00:30:11.156
Colin Potts: Because it's like, I was young, I was active, and I wanted to be pain-free.
00:30:11.396 --> 00:30:12.416
Colin Potts: You know, I wanted my life. I
00:30:12.416 --> 00:30:16.616
Colin Potts: love life and I'm outside and sports and running and all of those things.
00:30:16.816 --> 00:30:20.316
Colin Potts: And so, you know, you try to go to the best of the best, but,
00:30:20.316 --> 00:30:24.636
Colin Potts: you know, no one was really kind of looking at the 60,000 foot level view of
00:30:24.636 --> 00:30:28.676
Colin Potts: kind of my whole case because they were fixing things, but by fixing certain things.
00:30:29.308 --> 00:30:32.348
Colin Potts: There was that wave of, you know, creating more and more problems.
00:30:32.528 --> 00:30:36.428
Colin Potts: So I ended up at the hospital for special surgery, surgery after surgery,
00:30:37.088 --> 00:30:38.688
Colin Potts: Fusions, second fusion.
00:30:39.048 --> 00:30:44.928
Colin Potts: And then, you know, I had a little bit of success, but was on the subway with my brother in D.C.
00:30:45.068 --> 00:30:49.088
Colin Potts: And anyone who's been on the subway knows, at least in D.C.,
00:30:49.088 --> 00:30:53.708
Colin Potts: that the driver sometimes will hit the accelerator and then hit the brakes.
00:30:53.908 --> 00:30:58.788
Colin Potts: And like the whole car, everyone goes flying. Well, I kind of did that and landed
00:30:58.788 --> 00:31:01.968
Colin Potts: on my foot that had just been operated on.
00:31:02.268 --> 00:31:05.948
Colin Potts: And everyone in the train car could hear my leg pop.
00:31:06.228 --> 00:31:09.388
Colin Potts: And that was a bad thing.
00:31:09.488 --> 00:31:12.648
Colin Potts: I knew right away I was in trouble. And my brother had tried to grab the piles
00:31:12.648 --> 00:31:14.528
Colin Potts: of my jacket when he saw me falling backwards.
00:31:15.008 --> 00:31:19.328
Colin Potts: So all of a sudden, we're up to more and more surgeries. And I was like,
00:31:19.408 --> 00:31:26.168
Colin Potts: this is crazy. So I go in December 8th of 2015, back up to HSS in New York,
00:31:26.228 --> 00:31:29.348
Colin Potts: and they're in the limb saving business. And I had an eight-hour surgery.
00:31:29.648 --> 00:31:34.488
Colin Potts: And I don't think I would ever tell a surgeon this again. But I was like, don't wake me up.
00:31:34.788 --> 00:31:37.808
Colin Potts: If there's anything else you need to do, do it. Don't wake me up and tell me
00:31:37.808 --> 00:31:38.728
Colin Potts: I have to have another surgery.
00:31:39.248 --> 00:31:45.088
Colin Potts: And so I remember him waking me up, and he was like, I'm not quite sure if this is going to work.
00:31:45.228 --> 00:31:48.348
Colin Potts: And that's never a good thing to hear out of a surgeon at that point.
00:31:48.348 --> 00:31:50.148
Colin Potts: So the long story is just,
00:31:50.815 --> 00:31:55.955
Colin Potts: I they casted me for six months. And I was like, this is crazy.
00:31:56.115 --> 00:31:59.435
Colin Potts: You know, that's a long time to be casted. And, you know, you made it through,
00:31:59.595 --> 00:32:00.895
Colin Potts: but it took a lot of determination.
00:32:01.035 --> 00:32:05.155
Colin Potts: And there's a lot of hard days and being on crutches that long and probably
00:32:05.155 --> 00:32:10.675
Colin Potts: could have been in the crutch Olympics at that point, because it was like surgeries and so many things.
00:32:11.015 --> 00:32:14.595
Colin Potts: And so I go back up. And finally, they're like, Oh, we're gonna take this off.
00:32:14.795 --> 00:32:16.515
Colin Potts: And I was like, Oh, it's incredible.
00:32:16.775 --> 00:32:18.515
Colin Potts: And I was I was shocked how atrophied
00:32:18.515 --> 00:32:22.815
Colin Potts: it was and everything else because that's a long time to be casted.
00:32:22.955 --> 00:32:26.175
Colin Potts: So I go and then they're like, see how you do.
00:32:26.375 --> 00:32:29.395
Colin Potts: So I started walking on it and the pain level was...
00:32:30.200 --> 00:32:34.380
Colin Potts: Seven, then eight. And then I was like, this is unbearable.
00:32:34.560 --> 00:32:39.060
Colin Potts: And then the bad thing was my foot tripled in size and it just stayed that way.
00:32:39.260 --> 00:32:42.440
Colin Potts: And so it got to the point where it's like, I'm back in a boot,
00:32:42.700 --> 00:32:44.880
Colin Potts: you know, I'm on back with crutches again.
00:32:45.200 --> 00:32:50.340
Colin Potts: And the pain is just driving me crazy because I won't, I wouldn't take the opioids.
00:32:50.600 --> 00:32:54.960
Colin Potts: And, but when you get chronic pain like that, it's debilitating.
00:32:55.140 --> 00:32:58.640
Colin Potts: You get, it really alters your life and it's very tiring.
00:32:58.900 --> 00:33:03.920
Colin Potts: So anyone who's chronic pain, I certainly feel for you and empathize with that.
00:33:04.060 --> 00:33:08.240
Colin Potts: So I go back up to New York and, you know, I'm sitting outside and that train
00:33:08.240 --> 00:33:11.080
Colin Potts: ride was crazy. It was like the heart of darkness, Joseph Conrad.
00:33:11.280 --> 00:33:17.400
Colin Potts: I was going up the river to meet my enemy or foe and really was concerned.
00:33:17.560 --> 00:33:20.960
Colin Potts: And every mile seemed like five miles, you know, and every hour seemed like
00:33:20.960 --> 00:33:22.280
Colin Potts: three hours to get up there.
00:33:22.540 --> 00:33:27.280
Colin Potts: And in my heart, I knew something was that it wasn't going to be a good news
00:33:27.280 --> 00:33:33.000
Colin Potts: on the visit. So I go in and MRI and he sees all this and he said,
00:33:33.120 --> 00:33:37.080
Colin Potts: walks in and he's kind of a, he's a great guy, great surgeon, but kind of gruff.
00:33:37.160 --> 00:33:39.780
Colin Potts: And he just said, there's nothing left. You're never going to walk again.
00:33:39.920 --> 00:33:41.540
Colin Potts: And I'm like, what do you mean I'm never going to walk again?
00:33:41.560 --> 00:33:46.540
Colin Potts: He's like, it's destroyed again. And there's nothing we can put back together with this anymore.
00:33:46.900 --> 00:33:52.780
Colin Potts: And he said, I was concerned when you had the surgery, but now this is what I was most concerned of.
00:33:53.000 --> 00:33:57.160
Colin Potts: This is just not working at all. And there was just too many surgeries,
00:33:57.420 --> 00:34:02.740
Colin Potts: too many plates, 13 screws, fusion, staph infection, all these things that happened.
00:34:03.040 --> 00:34:06.700
Colin Potts: And so he just blurts out right away. He says, amputation.
00:34:07.442 --> 00:34:11.462
Colin Potts: And it sucked every ounce of air out of me. I'll never forget sitting there.
00:34:11.622 --> 00:34:15.562
Colin Potts: And he's like, that's it. You have no quality of life. You will never walk again.
00:34:15.762 --> 00:34:17.722
Colin Potts: I'm like, never? And he's like, never.
00:34:18.062 --> 00:34:24.142
Colin Potts: And so I was shocked because I thought all of a sudden it was the shock of,
00:34:24.282 --> 00:34:28.822
Colin Potts: it's been 20 surgeries, 17 years, all the PT,
00:34:29.302 --> 00:34:34.602
Colin Potts: all that I put into the care, and thank God for my wife as well, her patients.
00:34:34.842 --> 00:34:40.842
Colin Potts: But it was like the sense of failure. And it was like, wow, this is, I didn't expect that.
00:34:41.162 --> 00:34:45.582
Colin Potts: You know, maybe in the very, very, very back of my mind, but I wasn't prepped
00:34:45.582 --> 00:34:47.002
Colin Potts: for that at all thinking.
00:34:47.022 --> 00:34:49.522
Colin Potts: I knew it was going to be a difficult day, but not to that level.
00:34:49.682 --> 00:34:54.842
Colin Potts: And I remember, you know, I walked back to the people scheduling there and I
00:34:54.842 --> 00:34:55.682
Colin Potts: knew them all really well.
00:34:55.782 --> 00:34:58.742
Colin Potts: And they're like amputation and their faces.
00:34:58.922 --> 00:35:02.522
Colin Potts: And then when I saw their faces and then I go downstairs and,
00:35:03.085 --> 00:35:06.985
Colin Potts: I call my wife and she's like, oh, how's it going? Are you going to be okay?
00:35:07.265 --> 00:35:09.445
Colin Potts: I'm sure everything's going to be fine. Trying to be very positive.
00:35:09.645 --> 00:35:10.985
Colin Potts: And I'm like, it's the amputation.
00:35:11.145 --> 00:35:15.825
Colin Potts: And she hangs up the phone and I'm like, well, great. This is off to a good start.
00:35:16.265 --> 00:35:23.625
Colin Potts: And so I knew it was really the shock for her. But yeah, so I went home and tried to digest it all.
00:35:23.745 --> 00:35:29.065
Colin Potts: And honestly, I had a few crappy days in the sense of like, how did this happen?
00:35:29.085 --> 00:35:33.845
Colin Potts: And why is this happening? And why do I continue to have all these things continue in my life?
00:35:33.965 --> 00:35:37.065
Colin Potts: And after everything I've been through, but, you know, finally,
00:35:37.185 --> 00:35:40.825
Colin Potts: I was like, the only way I feel like, and I think this is a good thought for
00:35:40.825 --> 00:35:43.945
Colin Potts: everyone is, you know, when you get in a situation like that,
00:35:44.085 --> 00:35:45.925
Colin Potts: the best thing you can do is educate yourself.
00:35:46.125 --> 00:35:50.165
Colin Potts: You can either wallow in the misery of it or educate yourself and education
00:35:50.165 --> 00:35:54.085
Colin Potts: in those situations is very powerful because then all of a sudden you go from
00:35:54.085 --> 00:35:58.885
Colin Potts: kind of the woe is me and start driving the process and being a best advocate for yourself.
00:35:58.885 --> 00:36:02.325
Colin Potts: And that's certainly important in any health care, in any situation.
00:36:02.485 --> 00:36:08.525
Colin Potts: So we got home and then we went back up to New York and met the surgeon and
00:36:08.525 --> 00:36:10.725
Colin Potts: then met, you know, the prosthetic people.
00:36:10.905 --> 00:36:15.425
Colin Potts: And that was really the elephant in the room in the sense was all of a sudden
00:36:15.425 --> 00:36:23.345
Colin Potts: I'm holding a plastic foot and a with rubber around it and a titanium pipe.
00:36:23.345 --> 00:36:25.305
Colin Potts: And I'm like, this is going to be my life.
00:36:25.765 --> 00:36:29.205
Colin Potts: And so it was really shocking because I was like, and they're like,
00:36:29.325 --> 00:36:31.205
Colin Potts: you're gonna have to do this and you're gonna have to do this.
00:36:31.285 --> 00:36:34.445
Colin Potts: And all of a sudden I'm sitting there getting extremely overwhelmed because I'm like,
00:36:34.971 --> 00:36:41.091
Colin Potts: And it's not able to process that my life is going to change that much. So we go home and prep.
00:36:41.271 --> 00:36:45.731
Colin Potts: And then I go back up for rounds with Cornell and HSS.
00:36:46.051 --> 00:36:50.171
Colin Potts: And I was 30 physicians and probably a bunch of PAs and stuff there.
00:36:50.331 --> 00:36:54.831
Colin Potts: And it's 6.30 in the morning. They did like two cases a quarter.
00:36:55.111 --> 00:36:58.991
Colin Potts: And there's the special cases. And every one of them was like amputation.
00:36:59.131 --> 00:37:03.551
Colin Potts: That's it. You're done. and went back for more testing and to nerve blocks to
00:37:03.551 --> 00:37:05.691
Colin Potts: make sure the pain would go away and all these things.
00:37:05.911 --> 00:37:08.771
Colin Potts: And that fell into place and had our answer there.
00:37:08.831 --> 00:37:12.231
Colin Potts: And when they did the nerve block for the first time in 20 years,
00:37:12.511 --> 00:37:16.591
Colin Potts: I had no pain that like my brain didn't know how to kind of process that.
00:37:16.731 --> 00:37:20.251
Colin Potts: So we went, you know, went back home and prepped for the big day,
00:37:20.411 --> 00:37:22.871
Colin Potts: which was December 1, 2016.
00:37:23.511 --> 00:37:29.351
Colin Potts: It's hard to believe it's just hit nine years from the day, December 1.
00:37:29.351 --> 00:37:35.831
Colin Potts: So that was kind of what led up to the whole process there and really struggling,
00:37:36.151 --> 00:37:38.571
Colin Potts: a lot of emotion, a lot of sense of failure,
00:37:39.011 --> 00:37:42.631
Colin Potts: staying positive, but having those days where you're really doubting,
00:37:42.631 --> 00:37:44.491
Colin Potts: you know, kind of the whole situation.
00:37:44.491 --> 00:37:50.791
Colin Potts: And but then, you know, I lean back on, you know, the faith and my faith and, you know, prayed a lot.
00:37:50.971 --> 00:37:54.791
Colin Potts: And certainly, you know, the things I told my mom and, you know,
00:37:54.911 --> 00:37:58.051
Colin Potts: I kind of started the just because it's different doesn't mean it can't be good.
00:37:58.171 --> 00:38:01.671
Colin Potts: Kind of started that thought process and really kind of did the best I could
00:38:01.671 --> 00:38:03.051
Colin Potts: to prep myself for surgery.
00:38:03.551 --> 00:38:05.371
Kevin Lowe: Yeah. Wow. Wow. Wow.
00:38:06.336 --> 00:38:12.676
Kevin Lowe: My goodness. So I don't know if it's at this point in the story.
00:38:12.856 --> 00:38:21.156
Kevin Lowe: I think it was maybe before you had the amputation that you had a really powerful
00:38:21.156 --> 00:38:25.736
Kevin Lowe: moment that will happen when you and your wife had visited somewhere.
00:38:25.876 --> 00:38:29.216
Kevin Lowe: Was it Washington Foley? Is that the name?
00:38:29.216 --> 00:38:32.996
Colin Potts: It was the Monocacy Aqueduct. Exactly.
00:38:33.416 --> 00:38:37.796
Colin Potts: And it was a special moment. If anyone's familiar with the Maryland,
00:38:37.996 --> 00:38:42.836
Colin Potts: D.C., Virginia area, there's the C&O Canal that goes from Cumberland,
00:38:42.936 --> 00:38:45.776
Colin Potts: Maryland, northern Maryland, all the way down to Georgetown.
00:38:45.776 --> 00:38:50.636
Colin Potts: And it was built in the George Washington era, and it was used for trade.
00:38:50.696 --> 00:38:55.896
Colin Potts: And it runs along the Potomac, and it's just a beautiful, beautiful spot.
00:38:56.096 --> 00:39:01.736
Colin Potts: There's locks every so often as the topography changed and to move you down the canal.
00:39:01.956 --> 00:39:06.896
Colin Potts: And so we love going there. We always went there, Sunday drives up to the farms
00:39:06.896 --> 00:39:11.076
Colin Potts: and would always stop there because it's just something about the aqueducts.
00:39:11.076 --> 00:39:16.456
Colin Potts: And it's truly the one spot where the water would not naturally continue for
00:39:16.456 --> 00:39:21.116
Colin Potts: the canal. So they built this large granite, you know, aqueduct.
00:39:21.756 --> 00:39:25.756
Colin Potts: And they tried to, the story has it that they tried to blow it up in the Civil
00:39:25.756 --> 00:39:29.436
Colin Potts: War multiple times. And I can promise you this, this lot lives everywhere.
00:39:29.778 --> 00:39:32.838
Colin Potts: Me by probably 200 years because it's so well built.
00:39:33.358 --> 00:39:37.478
Colin Potts: And, you know, so people bike up there on the sides of the aqueduct,
00:39:37.478 --> 00:39:42.218
Colin Potts: you can walk and there's a, there's a, it's just beautiful, like bridges that
00:39:42.218 --> 00:39:44.198
Colin Potts: you can just look out over the water.
00:39:44.498 --> 00:39:48.338
Colin Potts: And it's just, it's a wonderful place. And what was interesting,
00:39:48.378 --> 00:39:51.398
Colin Potts: we always took our dogs there and every dog looks happy there.
00:39:51.498 --> 00:39:52.778
Colin Potts: Every person looks happy there.
00:39:52.978 --> 00:39:57.438
Colin Potts: There was something just very magical about the place. And and we had two cockroach
00:39:57.438 --> 00:40:01.138
Colin Potts: spaniels, and we would sprinkle their ashes up there after they passed.
00:40:01.378 --> 00:40:05.298
Colin Potts: So four days before surgery, it was one of those things where I was like,
00:40:05.398 --> 00:40:07.778
Colin Potts: I really need to go up there.
00:40:07.778 --> 00:40:12.498
Colin Potts: It was such a soulful place, and it was something I just needed to go see and
00:40:12.498 --> 00:40:17.218
Colin Potts: do, and just have that joy of just spending time there.
00:40:17.358 --> 00:40:21.958
Colin Potts: So we went up there, and I was on crutches, and so it's about 90 yards out probably,
00:40:22.864 --> 00:40:28.164
Colin Potts: 85, 90 yards out to the bridge where you kind of see all the water and everything.
00:40:28.564 --> 00:40:32.864
Colin Potts: So we get out there and then we're dog sitting this little dog named Pepper.
00:40:33.124 --> 00:40:39.584
Colin Potts: He's this little fireball, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, and just a ball of energy and goodness.
00:40:39.724 --> 00:40:42.524
Colin Potts: That's the only way I can describe it. I know we all are dogs,
00:40:42.624 --> 00:40:45.064
Colin Potts: but this dog is just so much fun.
00:40:45.204 --> 00:40:49.524
Colin Potts: It's just so animated. So Ann
00:40:49.524 --> 00:40:53.224
Colin Potts: says, well, I'm going to go walk with the dog, try to go down the canal.
00:40:53.424 --> 00:40:57.344
Colin Potts: And I'm like, well, I need to get to the car because there's no one going to be able to get me.
00:40:57.544 --> 00:41:02.804
Colin Potts: So I need to get back 85 yards or whatever it was and do that.
00:41:02.924 --> 00:41:06.584
Colin Potts: So I'm walking and Pepper and Ann had taken off.
00:41:06.784 --> 00:41:11.064
Colin Potts: And this gentleman walks by or rides by on his bike. And he says to me,
00:41:11.164 --> 00:41:13.624
Colin Potts: you're going to the parking lot, aren't you? And I was like, yeah.
00:41:13.784 --> 00:41:17.864
Colin Potts: And I didn't think much of it type thing. But I thought it was kind of an odd question.
00:41:18.304 --> 00:41:22.164
Colin Potts: So when you get to the fork where to the left was to the parking lot,
00:41:22.304 --> 00:41:26.684
Colin Potts: to the right is going down the canal. And if you ever get to the D.C.
00:41:26.704 --> 00:41:30.784
Colin Potts: Area, go see the canal because every eighth of a mile is different.
00:41:31.064 --> 00:41:37.304
Colin Potts: It's just natural beauty. So it's just a special place. So I start heading towards
00:41:37.304 --> 00:41:38.564
Colin Potts: the parking lot at the fork.
00:41:38.824 --> 00:41:42.544
Colin Potts: And all of a sudden, Pepper and Ann are right behind me. And Pepper is like
00:41:42.544 --> 00:41:45.084
Colin Potts: glued to my leg. I said, is everything OK?
00:41:45.304 --> 00:41:47.744
Colin Potts: She said, I don't know what happened. Something spooked him.
00:41:47.744 --> 00:41:49.904
Colin Potts: And he just dug in and wouldn't move.
00:41:50.064 --> 00:41:54.244
Colin Potts: And what was odd to me was all of a sudden the dog's just like no energy.
00:41:54.524 --> 00:41:58.644
Colin Potts: Like he almost looks like a little sphinx or a stuffed animal.
00:41:58.764 --> 00:42:04.744
Colin Potts: And he's moving, but he's just not that joyful, gleeful little dog and ball
00:42:04.744 --> 00:42:06.064
Colin Potts: of energy that we're used to.
00:42:06.424 --> 00:42:10.244
Colin Potts: So we get up towards the parking lot and she said, I don't know what happened, Colin. And,
00:42:10.567 --> 00:42:15.147
Colin Potts: So I was a little concerned, but he's moving and, you know, and looked okay,
00:42:15.307 --> 00:42:18.407
Colin Potts: you know, and that, but just very, very quiet.
00:42:18.867 --> 00:42:23.767
Colin Potts: And so as we approached the parking lot, this gentleman is putting his bike on his car.
00:42:24.207 --> 00:42:30.367
Colin Potts: He starts talking to me and he said, well, yeah, I had one of those boots on a few years back.
00:42:30.527 --> 00:42:34.487
Colin Potts: And I told the surgeon, if you don't do a good job, you know,
00:42:34.567 --> 00:42:35.527
Colin Potts: I'm going to lose my limb.
00:42:35.927 --> 00:42:39.407
Colin Potts: She says, what's going on with you? And I said, well, I'm losing my limb.
00:42:40.567 --> 00:42:45.167
Colin Potts: Going up to New York in four days and losing my land. And he said, I know.
00:42:45.447 --> 00:42:50.727
Colin Potts: He said, I'm here to tell you that we're supposed to meet today and that everything's going to be okay.
00:42:52.127 --> 00:42:54.927
Colin Potts: So at first blush, I'm like, I don't know.
00:42:55.107 --> 00:42:58.527
Colin Potts: You know, it's kind of shocked, you know, it's like, who is this guy and what
00:42:58.527 --> 00:43:02.207
Colin Potts: is he talking about? So we continue to have this conversation.
00:43:02.927 --> 00:43:06.607
Colin Potts: He's asked me about life and faith. I'm like, I love life. You know,
00:43:06.687 --> 00:43:08.187
Colin Potts: my faith has gotten me through everything.
00:43:08.507 --> 00:43:10.307
Colin Potts: And, and he said, I need you to
00:43:10.307 --> 00:43:13.567
Colin Potts: know that we're supposed to meet today and everything's going to be okay.
00:43:13.887 --> 00:43:18.607
Colin Potts: So I'm looking at this guy, he has this long gray beard and I look at his knees
00:43:18.607 --> 00:43:24.047
Colin Potts: and there's, it looks like hundreds of scars and it almost looked like there,
00:43:24.187 --> 00:43:27.447
Colin Potts: his knees, the skin was cryovacced. He had had so many surgeries.
00:43:27.687 --> 00:43:32.347
Colin Potts: And so he's telling me about that. And then he said, do you know how you're going to be okay?
00:43:32.467 --> 00:43:35.987
Colin Potts: And I said, well, it kind of crossed my mind how you're telling me this.
00:43:36.087 --> 00:43:39.347
Colin Potts: And he said, well, cause I'm going to say a few words to someone and you just
00:43:39.347 --> 00:43:42.107
Colin Potts: need to know that we're supposed to meet today and everything's going to be okay.
00:43:42.607 --> 00:43:48.027
Colin Potts: So, and silent, the dog's not moving. And all of a sudden, I'm getting...
00:43:49.025 --> 00:43:52.965
Colin Potts: This, this feeling. And I just had no idea what to say or do.
00:43:53.105 --> 00:43:57.365
Colin Potts: And so very overwhelmed because I'm like, who is this guy and what's going on here?
00:43:57.565 --> 00:44:02.045
Colin Potts: So I introduced him. I had to find something to kind of change the conversation,
00:44:02.285 --> 00:44:03.605
Colin Potts: the whole trajectory of it.
00:44:03.765 --> 00:44:07.985
Colin Potts: And so I'm like, oh, by the way, this is, I'm Colin, this is Ian, and this is Pepper.
00:44:08.325 --> 00:44:12.745
Colin Potts: And so it's great to meet you, but my name's Bill. And so I said, okay, Bill.
00:44:13.105 --> 00:44:17.985
Colin Potts: So he just, he continues asking me questions, you know, kind of life questions and that.
00:44:18.225 --> 00:44:21.005
Colin Potts: And, you know, how do you feel about moving forward? And I'm like,
00:44:21.085 --> 00:44:24.165
Colin Potts: well, you have to move forward in life. There's I have no regrets.
00:44:24.385 --> 00:44:26.845
Colin Potts: And, you know, this is just a path in a different direction.
00:44:26.945 --> 00:44:29.625
Colin Potts: So he's continuing to work on this bike.
00:44:29.805 --> 00:44:35.925
Colin Potts: And then, you know, we feel like, well, conversations kind of over and we get in the car.
00:44:36.485 --> 00:44:40.085
Colin Potts: First, I had to lift Pepper up. And I'm like, Pepper is one of those little
00:44:40.085 --> 00:44:41.645
Colin Potts: dogs that pops up into the car.
00:44:41.785 --> 00:44:45.085
Colin Potts: It's like, I'm here, you know, And all of a sudden I had to lift him up and
00:44:45.085 --> 00:44:49.785
Colin Potts: his eyes, he was moving, but he was like in this trance.
00:44:49.905 --> 00:44:53.705
Colin Potts: So I get in the car and then Anne's next to me and she's just bawling.
00:44:53.945 --> 00:44:56.265
Colin Potts: And she's like, Colin, God's trying to talk to you.
00:44:56.805 --> 00:45:00.565
Colin Potts: Someone is telling you this. She said, you don't see it because he's staring
00:45:00.565 --> 00:45:01.765
Colin Potts: straight into your soul.
00:45:01.945 --> 00:45:05.265
Colin Potts: You can't see it. And she said, I don't know what's going on.
00:45:05.385 --> 00:45:10.685
Colin Potts: But she said, God's trying to tell you something here. So, I'm like,
00:45:10.785 --> 00:45:13.985
Colin Potts: ah, you know, and I take a deep breath, and I'm like, please check on Pepper,
00:45:14.165 --> 00:45:18.265
Colin Potts: and so we back up, and we go up to, next to Bill's car.
00:45:18.425 --> 00:45:23.025
Colin Potts: And I roll down the window, and I said, well, thank you for taking the time to talk, and he said,
00:45:24.152 --> 00:45:26.432
Colin Potts: Do you understand that we're supposed to meet today? And I said,
00:45:26.572 --> 00:45:28.592
Colin Potts: I actually do believe this.
00:45:28.732 --> 00:45:33.712
Colin Potts: And he said, but everything's going to be okay. But there's one more thing I have to tell you.
00:45:33.852 --> 00:45:37.072
Colin Potts: And I'm like, what's that? And he said, you're going to be challenged in a way
00:45:37.072 --> 00:45:39.132
Colin Potts: that you've never been challenged before in your life.
00:45:39.472 --> 00:45:43.972
Colin Potts: And it will be your ultimate test in your faith. And he said,
00:45:44.032 --> 00:45:46.792
Colin Potts: I can't tell you what it's going to be, but it's going to be coming soon.
00:45:46.992 --> 00:45:50.652
Colin Potts: I didn't quite know and understand what that would be. And I said, okay.
00:45:50.872 --> 00:45:53.932
Colin Potts: And he said, but just, you have to remember, everything's going
00:45:53.932 --> 00:45:56.752
Colin Potts: to be okay so i i'm sitting there
00:45:56.752 --> 00:45:59.832
Colin Potts: and i'm getting kind of queasy at this whole conversation at
00:45:59.832 --> 00:46:04.552
Colin Potts: this point and then he says to me um i said well thank you and he said no he
00:46:04.552 --> 00:46:08.332
Colin Potts: said i need to thank you because you're a believer and there's very few people
00:46:08.332 --> 00:46:15.112
Colin Potts: on this earth that truly believe anymore and so we roll up the window go 25
00:46:15.112 --> 00:46:19.212
Colin Potts: yards up the road i pull over I couldn't breathe. I could not breathe.
00:46:19.732 --> 00:46:25.552
Colin Potts: And it was the most overwhelming experience in my life. And I'm saying,
00:46:25.572 --> 00:46:27.152
Colin Potts: who is this guy? And what does this mean?
00:46:27.272 --> 00:46:31.632
Colin Potts: But I'm going to be okay. And that, and this is four days before getting ready
00:46:31.632 --> 00:46:35.572
Colin Potts: to lose my leg and Pepper's still not moving and Anne's crying.
00:46:35.852 --> 00:46:38.352
Colin Potts: And I'm just trying to breathe.
00:46:38.672 --> 00:46:41.112
Colin Potts: And so finally, it gets together after about five minutes.
00:46:41.787 --> 00:46:46.347
Colin Potts: It's about 40, it's about three quarters of a mile out to the main road.
00:46:46.587 --> 00:46:50.227
Colin Potts: And as soon as we get out to the main road, you know, Pepper does this giant
00:46:50.227 --> 00:46:57.667
Colin Potts: shake and all of a sudden he's back and he's back to his normal perky fun self and everything.
00:46:58.067 --> 00:47:01.147
Colin Potts: And it's like, what just happened? I'm like, I have no idea.
00:47:01.467 --> 00:47:04.627
Colin Potts: So that was an amazing day and an amazing experience.
00:47:04.707 --> 00:47:09.507
Colin Potts: And then kind of where it led me, you know, we can talk about that next if you'd
00:47:09.507 --> 00:47:12.287
Colin Potts: like and what that face was.
00:47:12.967 --> 00:47:17.687
Kevin Lowe: Wow. So do you believe that man was an angel?
00:47:17.987 --> 00:47:18.487
Colin Potts: Yes.
00:47:18.907 --> 00:47:19.907
Kevin Lowe: Yeah. Wow.
00:47:19.967 --> 00:47:23.947
Colin Potts: Very much. I can't even do it justice. I always would love it for you to like
00:47:23.947 --> 00:47:27.047
Colin Potts: tape her version because it was that powerful.
00:47:27.367 --> 00:47:32.747
Colin Potts: And in just the knowledge that he had, there's no way. I wasn't online.
00:47:32.987 --> 00:47:38.187
Colin Potts: I wasn't on social media. There was no way he would have known any of this stuff.
00:47:38.587 --> 00:47:42.467
Colin Potts: And there wasn't a chance. It wasn't like I was on Facebook leaving messages
00:47:42.467 --> 00:47:46.407
Colin Potts: and I didn't start social media until a couple of years after my amputation.
00:47:46.627 --> 00:47:50.247
Colin Potts: So I really had to believe it in that sense.
00:47:50.387 --> 00:47:54.967
Colin Potts: And it kind of scared me because I was like, what's this test of faith thing he's talking about?
00:47:55.047 --> 00:48:00.627
Colin Potts: Because it was kind of ominous, but then it was like faith and you just got to really believe it.
00:48:00.767 --> 00:48:04.167
Colin Potts: And I was like, oh my God, what's going to happen next? Is it just losing a
00:48:04.167 --> 00:48:07.227
Colin Potts: limb, you know, in terms of that? So it was something.
00:48:07.227 --> 00:48:10.367
Kevin Lowe: Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Oh my gosh.
00:48:10.667 --> 00:48:14.047
Kevin Lowe: Such an incredible, incredible story.
00:48:14.327 --> 00:48:20.447
Kevin Lowe: So I'm anxious to honestly hear how this story continues as far as,
00:48:21.181 --> 00:48:27.541
Kevin Lowe: That was just a few days before this big surgery. How did the actual surgery go?
00:48:27.881 --> 00:48:32.001
Colin Potts: The surgery was fine. It was really hard.
00:48:32.181 --> 00:48:36.261
Colin Potts: I remember they bumped me up on the schedule, like, can you get here sooner? Someone just canceled.
00:48:36.521 --> 00:48:40.661
Colin Potts: And we go in. And, you know, unfortunately, when you're a frequent flyer at
00:48:40.661 --> 00:48:44.761
Colin Potts: the hospital surgery centers, a lot of those people work there always.
00:48:45.021 --> 00:48:49.081
Colin Potts: And so I knew a lot of the nurses and staff and just really good people.
00:48:49.081 --> 00:48:54.521
Colin Potts: I mean, you know, by name, because I had had five, this would have been the fifth surgery there.
00:48:55.181 --> 00:48:58.521
Colin Potts: They're just beside themselves that I was losing a limb.
00:48:58.841 --> 00:49:02.961
Colin Potts: And they're just like, Colin, this, how did this, you know, and why did this,
00:49:03.161 --> 00:49:04.901
Colin Potts: and, you know, all the questions and everything.
00:49:05.241 --> 00:49:08.101
Colin Potts: And certainly I was getting super stressed because it's like,
00:49:08.241 --> 00:49:11.741
Colin Potts: you know, everyone's like, are you sure you want to do this?
00:49:11.801 --> 00:49:14.961
Colin Potts: And I'm like, oh, my God, you know, this is not what you really want,
00:49:15.101 --> 00:49:18.901
Colin Potts: like half hour before surgery, you know, with it. But finally,
00:49:19.061 --> 00:49:22.661
Colin Potts: I said to them, they're like, look, we'll wheel you in.
00:49:22.781 --> 00:49:28.341
Colin Potts: And I was like, can you get two people to help me? Because I want to walk for the last time.
00:49:28.561 --> 00:49:34.121
Colin Potts: And knowing what was going to happen, I want to walk with my leg. And it hurt like hell.
00:49:34.241 --> 00:49:37.501
Colin Potts: I could barely move, but it was one tiny step.
00:49:37.621 --> 00:49:42.261
Colin Potts: And I remember then getting in and hopping up. And just the pain was just,
00:49:42.401 --> 00:49:46.981
Colin Potts: you know, it was just not a good situation. and I was like, well,
00:49:47.101 --> 00:49:48.721
Colin Potts: I think I have my answer that this is right.
00:49:48.921 --> 00:49:53.341
Colin Potts: You know, I started laughing because I'm like, what are all those saws and drills?
00:49:53.681 --> 00:49:58.001
Colin Potts: And it kind of looked like a Home Depot tool set had been raided or a store
00:49:58.001 --> 00:50:01.001
Colin Potts: had been raided for tools. And they're like, no, that's all for you.
00:50:01.281 --> 00:50:05.741
Colin Potts: And so I'm like, great. So when I get really nervous, I just start laughing,
00:50:06.021 --> 00:50:09.021
Colin Potts: you know. And so I kept laughing and laughing and laughing.
00:50:09.201 --> 00:50:12.181
Colin Potts: And finally, the surgeon's like, knock them out.
00:50:12.201 --> 00:50:20.441
Colin Potts: And so I was out. And then I woke up and just the shock waking up and seeing there was no leg.
00:50:21.200 --> 00:50:27.780
Colin Potts: I thought in my mind I was prepared, but nothing prepares you for that actuality of seeing that.
00:50:28.160 --> 00:50:33.460
Colin Potts: You know, I just, it just took a while to really think, have it sink in.
00:50:33.680 --> 00:50:38.700
Colin Potts: And, you know, 20 other surgeries I woke up and had a limb. And then losing a limb was something.
00:50:38.900 --> 00:50:41.500
Colin Potts: But the very first thing I said to them was, I want to walk.
00:50:41.640 --> 00:50:45.640
Colin Potts: And they're like, Mr. Potts, you cannot get out of bed. I'm like, I want to walk.
00:50:46.020 --> 00:50:49.820
Colin Potts: And they're like, Colin, you can't, you just stay still.
00:50:50.100 --> 00:50:55.760
Colin Potts: You can't do this. And so finally, the guy in recovery and that whole thing
00:50:55.760 --> 00:51:00.000
Colin Potts: was the one of the doctors who was on call and all that was like giving something to walk with.
00:51:00.220 --> 00:51:06.180
Colin Potts: And so they gave me a walker and I got up and I was able to take three steps
00:51:06.180 --> 00:51:09.080
Colin Potts: and I didn't care. It was just three steps.
00:51:09.240 --> 00:51:14.720
Colin Potts: It was just that beginning, that mindset that I wanted to walk again and to
00:51:14.720 --> 00:51:16.100
Colin Potts: really believe that I could.
00:51:16.260 --> 00:51:20.060
Colin Potts: And then, you know, kind of came to the motto of just one more step every day.
00:51:20.060 --> 00:51:23.340
Colin Potts: And I kept saying to myself, just one more step, no matter what,
00:51:23.780 --> 00:51:27.060
Colin Potts: To get my life back and really wanted to fight for that.
00:51:27.240 --> 00:51:32.540
Colin Potts: And that was something that I'm so glad that I was able to have the mindset
00:51:32.540 --> 00:51:35.040
Colin Potts: to start with that and that thought process.
00:51:35.320 --> 00:51:39.080
Colin Potts: And so, you know, every day it was just a little bit more and a little bit more.
00:51:39.240 --> 00:51:43.240
Colin Potts: And so then we get to a point, you know, they're like, you're really good on crutches.
00:51:43.400 --> 00:51:48.780
Colin Potts: I'm like, yeah, well, Crutch Olympics, maybe, because it was being able to function
00:51:48.780 --> 00:51:52.100
Colin Potts: after all. They were like, this is amazing. Like, this is crazy.
00:51:52.380 --> 00:51:56.480
Colin Potts: And so they're like, okay, well, we're going to take you now from,
00:51:56.480 --> 00:52:01.480
Colin Potts: you know, the drip meds down to oral meds, you know, and part of the process
00:52:01.480 --> 00:52:04.160
Colin Potts: of being discharged, obviously, and all that kind of stuff.
00:52:04.400 --> 00:52:07.960
Colin Potts: And, you know, the days were kind of hanging around there and just...
00:52:08.885 --> 00:52:12.445
Colin Potts: Trying to see, I had one visitor, a really good friend who came in and I was
00:52:12.445 --> 00:52:15.125
Colin Potts: like, God, how is he going to react to me losing a limb?
00:52:15.305 --> 00:52:19.865
Colin Potts: And he was like, well, he lost a limb and talked to me that like I,
00:52:20.465 --> 00:52:23.665
Colin Potts: nothing had happened and not that he wasn't recognizing it.
00:52:23.765 --> 00:52:27.585
Colin Potts: It was just treating me as if, you know, this was a change, but this wasn't
00:52:27.585 --> 00:52:30.745
Colin Potts: going to change our relationship. And that taught me a really good lesson.
00:52:30.985 --> 00:52:33.885
Colin Potts: You know, as people always say, oh, when someone dies or someone's seconds.
00:52:34.065 --> 00:52:37.485
Colin Potts: What do I say to them? It's just have that normal conversation,
00:52:37.485 --> 00:52:42.065
Colin Potts: be normal for them, you know, and if they want advice, give them advice,
00:52:42.085 --> 00:52:48.105
Colin Potts: but, but also just talk about the things you always talk about and create that normalcy again.
00:52:48.305 --> 00:52:50.305
Colin Potts: And to me, that was a really valuable lesson.
00:52:50.625 --> 00:52:56.765
Colin Potts: So we go to the oral meds and we're doing that and they stick the pain pump away and do all that.
00:52:57.025 --> 00:53:01.765
Colin Potts: And so we get towards that, uh, that evening, uh, this young nurse who was lovely.
00:53:01.765 --> 00:53:03.145
Colin Potts: She was just a great soul.
00:53:03.405 --> 00:53:06.065
Colin Potts: She's like, you're not looking so good. Your blood pressure is going up.
00:53:06.185 --> 00:53:08.585
Colin Potts: She's like, how are you feeling? I'm like, well, it's hurting.
00:53:08.785 --> 00:53:12.365
Colin Potts: And she's like, well, we have another 30, 35 minutes. So, so I can give you
00:53:12.365 --> 00:53:14.165
Colin Potts: something in terms of that.
00:53:14.285 --> 00:53:17.465
Colin Potts: And so she said, are you going to be all right? I've got to go down the hall
00:53:17.465 --> 00:53:19.205
Colin Potts: for 10 minutes. I'm like, no, I'll be fine.
00:53:19.725 --> 00:53:24.065
Colin Potts: So all of a sudden it's like, I'm really starting to feel pain and very, very uncomfortable.
00:53:24.585 --> 00:53:31.345
Colin Potts: And I'm watching my blood pressure go up. You know, it's now like 175 over 120.
00:53:31.785 --> 00:53:35.025
Colin Potts: And, you know, you're starting to, you can kind of feel everything.
00:53:35.325 --> 00:53:37.505
Colin Potts: And then all of a sudden, it just got to a point where I was...
00:53:38.187 --> 00:53:40.947
Colin Potts: Absolutely couldn't even didn't even know what
00:53:40.947 --> 00:53:44.387
Colin Potts: to do the pain was so bad by that point my blood pressure was flying
00:53:44.387 --> 00:53:49.007
Colin Potts: that set off every alarm and then all of a sudden one person two people five
00:53:49.007 --> 00:53:53.747
Colin Potts: people seven people are in the room you know in terms of it and they're like
00:53:53.747 --> 00:53:58.787
Colin Potts: we have to give you morphine and so my blood pressure what they're telling me
00:53:58.787 --> 00:54:03.147
Colin Potts: is like look you're going to stroke out and your blood pressure is now, you know,
00:54:03.507 --> 00:54:07.887
Colin Potts: 260 over 150, 160.
00:54:08.147 --> 00:54:13.287
Colin Potts: So I like my heart was coming through my chest and I'm sitting there and I'm
00:54:13.287 --> 00:54:15.607
Colin Potts: like, this isn't, you know, this isn't good.
00:54:15.767 --> 00:54:20.627
Colin Potts: And I thought about this, this test of faith and they're like,
00:54:20.887 --> 00:54:23.127
Colin Potts: Colin, you got to stay with us. Colin, you got to stay with us.
00:54:23.347 --> 00:54:27.427
Colin Potts: And all these people in there. And I just remember like sweating profusely.
00:54:27.587 --> 00:54:32.987
Colin Potts: Like I've never felt anything like that. And I hope I never feel anything close to that again.
00:54:33.087 --> 00:54:37.387
Colin Potts: And I had a high tolerance for pain after all the surgeries and things that I'd been through.
00:54:37.867 --> 00:54:42.587
Colin Potts: So it was at that point where I was like, I don't know what's going on.
00:54:42.727 --> 00:54:47.547
Colin Potts: And so I pray right then. And I'm like, Bill, if this is the moment, I believe.
00:54:47.927 --> 00:54:50.847
Colin Potts: And I said, God, I believe.
00:54:51.307 --> 00:54:54.367
Colin Potts: And I believe in you. I need you. Please help.
00:54:54.727 --> 00:54:55.787
Colin Potts: All of a sudden, they said, I
00:54:55.787 --> 00:55:00.207
Colin Potts: went out, fully out. So I don't know what happened in that period of time.
00:55:00.367 --> 00:55:04.187
Colin Potts: I don't know how long it was. And then all of a sudden I wake up,
00:55:04.267 --> 00:55:07.727
Colin Potts: they're just kind of shaking me, they're like Colin, Colin, Colin.
00:55:07.987 --> 00:55:13.107
Colin Potts: So I'm sitting there and they're like, you shouldn't be here, you should not be here.
00:55:13.647 --> 00:55:18.227
Colin Potts: And I was, and, you know, and, and I, I was like, you know, I was like,
00:55:18.347 --> 00:55:23.407
Colin Potts: Bill, you know, this has to be it because I literally shouldn't be on this podcast
00:55:23.407 --> 00:55:24.447
Colin Potts: talking to you right now.
00:55:24.967 --> 00:55:29.507
Colin Potts: It was something in this, the, the nurse who is so sweet and everything,
00:55:30.867 --> 00:55:33.007
Colin Potts: She's pounding on my arm and she's
00:55:33.007 --> 00:55:36.407
Colin Potts: like, Colin, I go down the hall for 10 minutes and you try to die on me.
00:55:36.607 --> 00:55:40.247
Colin Potts: What is going on? I told you, you told me you'd be okay. And she's crying and,
00:55:40.247 --> 00:55:42.127
Colin Potts: you know, they tell me this.
00:55:42.407 --> 00:55:47.307
Colin Potts: And the thing I realized, and it's like, what is all that water all over the floor?
00:55:47.507 --> 00:55:50.807
Colin Potts: Like just puddles of water. And they're like, oh, that was you that you're in
00:55:50.807 --> 00:55:55.207
Colin Potts: so much pain that you sweated that much water out of your body.
00:55:55.487 --> 00:55:58.667
Colin Potts: And I hadn't seen anything like that before. And that was kind of that was really
00:55:58.667 --> 00:56:03.347
Colin Potts: eerie to me, you know, because that's how much fluid I had had lost.
00:56:03.587 --> 00:56:07.727
Colin Potts: And to this day, I believe that that was the test. And in that, I'll never forget it.
00:56:08.027 --> 00:56:11.007
Colin Potts: And then trying to stabilize to get out of the hospital. And we were trying
00:56:11.007 --> 00:56:13.047
Colin Potts: to get home for Christmas and all of that.
00:56:13.167 --> 00:56:19.107
Colin Potts: But I remember Ann came in and she looked at me and she's like, you look like crap.
00:56:19.327 --> 00:56:22.387
Colin Potts: What is going on? And they tell her the story. And they're like,
00:56:22.707 --> 00:56:23.967
Colin Potts: she's like, why didn't you call?
00:56:24.087 --> 00:56:28.087
Colin Potts: They're like, no, he wouldn't have been able to dial a phone and shouldn't be
00:56:28.087 --> 00:56:29.107
Colin Potts: talking to you right now.
00:56:29.287 --> 00:56:32.487
Colin Potts: So it was just one of those moments where you just, you know,
00:56:32.607 --> 00:56:33.667
Colin Potts: they were just trying to save me.
00:56:33.807 --> 00:56:38.247
Colin Potts: And that's why, you know, they call someone and tell in the middle of the process.
00:56:38.447 --> 00:56:42.647
Colin Potts: But it was a moment that I'll never forget, the sense of really believing in
00:56:42.647 --> 00:56:44.407
Colin Potts: faith and believing in God.
00:56:44.587 --> 00:56:48.807
Colin Potts: And someone swooped me back and brought me back. And that's something I'll never forget.
00:56:49.287 --> 00:56:56.867
Kevin Lowe: What was your faith journey, your relationship with God like before that?
00:56:57.247 --> 00:57:02.427
Colin Potts: I think, you know, I always had faith because having been knocked down with
00:57:02.427 --> 00:57:07.347
Colin Potts: so many, so much loss, you know, I always believed in kind of getting back up
00:57:07.347 --> 00:57:10.627
Colin Potts: and doing that. And I spent a lot of time in church.
00:57:11.550 --> 00:57:15.390
Colin Potts: And then there's moments where I didn't pray because I was like,
00:57:15.530 --> 00:57:18.710
Colin Potts: what are you doing to me? And why do these things keep happening?
00:57:18.870 --> 00:57:23.650
Colin Potts: Like everyone, you know, and you have those moments where you're just that doubt
00:57:23.650 --> 00:57:27.830
Colin Potts: because it's like, how can this continue to happen to me over and over?
00:57:28.070 --> 00:57:31.290
Colin Potts: But faith was always an important part. I remember, you know,
00:57:31.710 --> 00:57:33.950
Colin Potts: I was working downtown and would go to St.
00:57:34.130 --> 00:57:38.130
Colin Potts: Matthew's on days where I just needed to find a peace and quiet.
00:57:38.310 --> 00:57:42.330
Colin Potts: And church was always a peaceful place. And, you know, I always tell people,
00:57:42.470 --> 00:57:46.370
Colin Potts: find your own church, whatever that may be, and take that hour because it's
00:57:46.370 --> 00:57:51.250
Colin Potts: important to focus on something else and not just on yourself.
00:57:51.490 --> 00:57:55.770
Colin Potts: My mom really bolstered, like, the faith, my belief in faith because of all
00:57:55.770 --> 00:58:00.010
Colin Potts: the stories and all that she had told me and what I had been through with her.
00:58:00.010 --> 00:58:05.070
Colin Potts: But that whole challenge was, I don't know, I mean, it was something that,
00:58:05.170 --> 00:58:09.430
Colin Potts: boy, I'm glad I did believe and, you know, did have that faith that I was going
00:58:09.430 --> 00:58:13.650
Colin Potts: to make it because, I don't know, it was scary.
00:58:13.850 --> 00:58:15.990
Colin Potts: But, you know, faith has gotten me through everything.
00:58:16.450 --> 00:58:19.830
Colin Potts: And faith, as my mom would say, faith in yourself and faith in God.
00:58:20.090 --> 00:58:26.050
Colin Potts: But it really solidified. And I believe that, you know, there is value in church
00:58:26.050 --> 00:58:31.050
Colin Potts: and scripture and that. I'm not a zealot by any stretch of the imagination,
00:58:31.050 --> 00:58:34.870
Colin Potts: and certainly people have to find their own way with church.
00:58:35.130 --> 00:58:38.670
Colin Potts: And there's been a lot of, obviously, issues in the world with all of that,
00:58:38.730 --> 00:58:41.210
Colin Potts: but there's still a lot of good people. There's still a lot of wisdom.
00:58:41.430 --> 00:58:46.550
Colin Potts: There's still a lot of peace that you can find in that, but it definitely solidified something that...
00:58:47.496 --> 00:58:52.456
Colin Potts: Had been rocked a lot. And, and naturally we all, when we get rocked in life
00:58:52.456 --> 00:58:57.356
Colin Potts: and lose things and have trauma happen to us, you know, we do question that.
00:58:57.516 --> 00:59:01.836
Colin Potts: And, and I think that's a good thing to do because that's how you grow your
00:59:01.836 --> 00:59:03.876
Colin Potts: faith and you become stronger.
00:59:04.076 --> 00:59:08.036
Colin Potts: And, and, and I know that after that it's, uh, I'm a firm believer in,
00:59:08.136 --> 00:59:11.476
Colin Potts: in what happened that, uh, that night at the hospital in they are.
00:59:11.716 --> 00:59:18.076
Kevin Lowe: Yeah. Wow. What a powerful testimony that you've been left with.
00:59:18.596 --> 00:59:24.576
Kevin Lowe: Honestly, I mean, your life, just from the little bit that you shared today,
00:59:24.916 --> 00:59:29.956
Kevin Lowe: all of the loss that you've endured, and then the story that you just shared
00:59:29.956 --> 00:59:32.476
Kevin Lowe: with us, it's just, it's a true,
00:59:33.016 --> 00:59:35.076
Kevin Lowe: amazing, amazing testimony.
00:59:35.716 --> 00:59:37.876
Kevin Lowe: And it's truly powerful.
00:59:38.818 --> 00:59:45.998
Kevin Lowe: Wow. Now, I am kind of curious to know, though, I mean, you have this this surgery.
00:59:46.498 --> 00:59:51.638
Kevin Lowe: Was it a success in terms of eliminating the pain?
00:59:51.938 --> 00:59:55.618
Kevin Lowe: And but now, I mean, you don't have part of your legs.
00:59:55.798 --> 01:00:00.458
Kevin Lowe: So now you're in this whole new journey of trying to adapt.
01:00:00.798 --> 01:00:02.558
Kevin Lowe: What was that like?
01:00:03.158 --> 01:00:08.018
Colin Potts: That was tough. First was waiting to get a prosthesis because my limb was a
01:00:08.018 --> 01:00:09.718
Colin Potts: little late to heal. because of an infection.
01:00:09.878 --> 01:00:14.698
Colin Potts: But all of a sudden you're walking with, you know, like I said,
01:00:14.818 --> 01:00:19.358
Colin Potts: a kind of a rubber foot and, you know, a plastic socket and a pipe.
01:00:19.598 --> 01:00:23.558
Colin Potts: And you're like, how am I going to do this and learn to walk again?
01:00:23.698 --> 01:00:29.798
Colin Potts: And that, and it took a lot because the first year after an amputation is really
01:00:29.798 --> 01:00:35.118
Colin Potts: difficult for anyone because your limb isn't circulating right,
01:00:35.318 --> 01:00:39.518
Colin Potts: and you tend to gather a tremendous amount of water in your limb.
01:00:39.738 --> 01:00:42.918
Colin Potts: And so over time, your limb atrophies and changes.
01:00:43.278 --> 01:00:48.438
Colin Potts: And so typically, you have a socket, which they do by plaster casts,
01:00:48.598 --> 01:00:51.158
Colin Potts: and then carbon fiber, a socket.
01:00:51.598 --> 01:00:55.618
Colin Potts: And that, when your limb shrinks, it shrinks during the day.
01:00:55.738 --> 01:00:59.078
Colin Potts: And as it progresses, you have to put socks on, like a one, three,
01:00:59.078 --> 01:01:03.318
Colin Potts: or five-ply sock so that you can balance in it.
01:01:03.498 --> 01:01:08.038
Colin Potts: And then you get up to 10-ply and your knee gets really wobbly because there's
01:01:08.038 --> 01:01:13.538
Colin Potts: not a lot of holding on to it and they have to recast and do the whole process and continue to do that.
01:01:13.658 --> 01:01:17.938
Colin Potts: And so you're only as good as your fit and I think any amputee will tell you that.
01:01:18.138 --> 01:01:23.758
Colin Potts: And when it fits well, it's fine, but when it doesn't, it can be excruciating.
01:01:23.918 --> 01:01:25.658
Colin Potts: And that's the hard part and it's easy.
01:01:26.260 --> 01:01:31.060
Colin Potts: For people to give up because there is your patients get ultimately tested.
01:01:31.560 --> 01:01:35.840
Colin Potts: And I thought I was a patient guy, but this, this really had kind of stretched
01:01:35.840 --> 01:01:38.100
Colin Potts: it, but you know, I kind of kept believing.
01:01:38.120 --> 01:01:44.200
Colin Potts: And at that point I had so many family members and friends walk away and I was
01:01:44.200 --> 01:01:47.660
Colin Potts: kind of, kind of low and people were like, you're never going to walk again.
01:01:47.860 --> 01:01:51.900
Colin Potts: And your life is over and what's going to happen to Colin.
01:01:52.120 --> 01:01:57.300
Colin Potts: And, you know, just the, this, this swirls of negativity. And I'm like, what the hell?
01:01:59.760 --> 01:02:03.140
Colin Potts: Literally, I'm like, I didn't expect any of that.
01:02:03.280 --> 01:02:05.680
Colin Potts: And that was the part of the journey that was the most difficult,
01:02:05.940 --> 01:02:08.540
Colin Potts: you know, and I'm like, okay, well, I got through all the other stuff.
01:02:08.700 --> 01:02:10.740
Colin Potts: But now I got the world telling me that I'm going to fail.
01:02:10.900 --> 01:02:15.040
Colin Potts: And so it really took a lot to stay positive at that point to do that.
01:02:15.180 --> 01:02:17.880
Colin Potts: And so, you know, I finally got really sick of it.
01:02:18.080 --> 01:02:21.900
Colin Potts: And I just said to myself, you know, it's going to be one more step every day.
01:02:22.180 --> 01:02:26.420
Colin Potts: And I would never sleep on the sofa downstairs, I would always get up the stairs
01:02:26.420 --> 01:02:30.160
Colin Potts: on crutches without alone is a little more challenging, I can tell you that.
01:02:30.540 --> 01:02:34.480
Colin Potts: And so, you know, you just, I was like, I'm not failing.
01:02:34.760 --> 01:02:38.660
Colin Potts: And so I took the negative energy and was just, I finally get to the point where
01:02:38.660 --> 01:02:41.340
Colin Potts: I was like, just watch, just watch this.
01:02:41.500 --> 01:02:45.680
Colin Potts: It was a powerful turn in my life because it was like, all right,
01:02:45.820 --> 01:02:49.560
Colin Potts: I'm going to make this work, not just for me, but for Anne.
01:02:49.740 --> 01:02:52.680
Colin Potts: And then part of me was like, I'm going to prove all of you wrong.
01:02:53.000 --> 01:02:57.140
Colin Potts: And then with that, and so, you know, there's those days in the fit and,
01:02:57.360 --> 01:03:00.740
Colin Potts: you know, if it didn't fit right, you know, you just grab your couches and still
01:03:00.740 --> 01:03:03.200
Colin Potts: go and, and, and go and live life.
01:03:03.300 --> 01:03:07.160
Colin Potts: And I always tell amputees, don't stay home, go and live and, and do that.
01:03:07.300 --> 01:03:11.380
Colin Potts: And so slowly I was making progress, uh, you know, and moving around more and
01:03:11.380 --> 01:03:15.880
Colin Potts: which was crazy because, you know, usually you have, uh, like two sockets,
01:03:16.080 --> 01:03:20.200
Colin Potts: maybe a year at the beginning. and I had 20 because I was being so active and
01:03:20.200 --> 01:03:21.840
Colin Potts: my limb was shrinking so fast.
01:03:22.020 --> 01:03:25.800
Colin Potts: And so all of a sudden, you know, I was walking, went to this...
01:03:26.638 --> 01:03:30.658
Colin Potts: But I was struggling with curbs and uneven surfaces.
01:03:31.018 --> 01:03:36.038
Colin Potts: And then I went to this amputee walk that that South has every year or had every
01:03:36.038 --> 01:03:38.278
Colin Potts: year. They're like, just see if you can make it a lap.
01:03:38.478 --> 01:03:42.378
Colin Potts: And so a gentleman who a friend had put me in touch with, who's an amputee,
01:03:42.458 --> 01:03:45.158
Colin Potts: and he was doing really well in his life. He came and walked.
01:03:45.298 --> 01:03:49.198
Colin Potts: And it was crazy because it was the kind of the walk went on.
01:03:49.478 --> 01:03:53.738
Colin Potts: It unleashed rain-wise. It was pouring. And, you know, you sit there and you're
01:03:53.738 --> 01:03:58.618
Colin Potts: just like, oh, God, you know, this whole thing. And so I kept going and I just
01:03:58.618 --> 01:03:59.658
Colin Potts: kept going and I kept going.
01:03:59.838 --> 01:04:02.918
Colin Potts: So I ended up walking a mile and a half.
01:04:04.018 --> 01:04:07.998
Colin Potts: And I remember I was sitting there and no one else is walking because it's poor.
01:04:08.198 --> 01:04:11.258
Colin Potts: I sat there and tears were coming down my face.
01:04:11.378 --> 01:04:16.318
Colin Potts: And it was one of those moments of acceptance in your life. And I was like, I know I'm going to be OK.
01:04:16.618 --> 01:04:20.798
Colin Potts: And I am going to be fine because I was able to do that. And everyone was like,
01:04:20.918 --> 01:04:22.698
Colin Potts: why did you walk that long far?
01:04:22.858 --> 01:04:24.818
Colin Potts: And I was like, well, no one told me to stop.
01:04:25.315 --> 01:04:27.935
Colin Potts: And I think I had a little Forrest Gump moment where I was like,
01:04:28.015 --> 01:04:32.135
Colin Potts: I'm going to walk and I'm going to run, you know, and just no one told me to stop.
01:04:32.415 --> 01:04:36.275
Colin Potts: So that day, I really propelled me and I knew it was going to be okay.
01:04:36.755 --> 01:04:41.715
Colin Potts: And then I started moving around quickly and jumping over things and landing
01:04:41.715 --> 01:04:47.515
Colin Potts: on a prosthesis and got a new leg and, you know, I could be more active with it.
01:04:47.635 --> 01:04:51.095
Colin Potts: It was an Oser ProFlex and things like that.
01:04:51.215 --> 01:04:54.895
Colin Potts: It had been harnesses, swatting balls and jumping and landing.
01:04:54.895 --> 01:04:58.995
Colin Potts: And I was like, you learned that you can actually land on it because you got
01:04:58.995 --> 01:04:59.895
Colin Potts: to trust the prosthesis.
01:05:00.695 --> 01:05:04.975
Colin Potts: And that was a big moment for me, too, because each time you get a new prosthesis,
01:05:05.215 --> 01:05:09.635
Colin Potts: it becomes a part of you at some point where it just it becomes so natural for
01:05:09.635 --> 01:05:11.335
Colin Potts: you to put on and move and do.
01:05:11.535 --> 01:05:15.015
Colin Potts: So so those experiences were happening and that.
01:05:15.315 --> 01:05:17.695
Colin Potts: And then they were like, I was like, look, I'd love to run again.
01:05:17.835 --> 01:05:20.635
Colin Potts: And so I was able to get a running blade and do that.
01:05:20.755 --> 01:05:24.815
Colin Potts: And I was swimming and and all of a sudden I was just picking up so much momentum.
01:05:24.895 --> 01:05:26.355
Colin Potts: Them and more and more sockets.
01:05:26.535 --> 01:05:30.035
Colin Potts: But same time, I was just gathering strength and everyone's like,
01:05:30.135 --> 01:05:32.455
Colin Potts: wow, this is pretty amazing, you know, and watching this.
01:05:32.575 --> 01:05:37.895
Colin Potts: And so then my big thing was they had that same 5k in the spring.
01:05:38.055 --> 01:05:42.535
Colin Potts: And so I started training for that and learning to use a running blade is very different.
01:05:42.755 --> 01:05:46.995
Colin Potts: And you kind of see them in the Olympics and because your hips and how you move.
01:05:47.135 --> 01:05:51.475
Colin Potts: And we started off with 30 seconds and a minute and then videotaping from the
01:05:51.475 --> 01:05:55.735
Colin Potts: side to make sure I was landing and adjusting the prosthesis over and over and
01:05:55.735 --> 01:05:57.455
Colin Potts: over so that I was landing properly.
01:05:57.675 --> 01:06:02.455
Colin Potts: And as I developed more strength, that changed the whole movement.
01:06:02.755 --> 01:06:06.535
Colin Potts: So those, you know, being able to have that adjusted continuously was great.
01:06:06.875 --> 01:06:10.315
Colin Potts: And then I'm outside, you know, at seven o'clock in the morning with like the
01:06:10.315 --> 01:06:15.615
Colin Potts: PTA down with this, you know, rubber band around me trying to hold me back and
01:06:15.615 --> 01:06:17.675
Colin Potts: going up hills and doing this.
01:06:17.855 --> 01:06:22.315
Colin Potts: And, It's 30 degrees out and I loved it because I was like, oh,
01:06:22.555 --> 01:06:25.175
Colin Potts: my goal was to finish that 5K.
01:06:26.378 --> 01:06:30.398
Colin Potts: So it just, you know, there was times where things, you know,
01:06:30.478 --> 01:06:33.878
Colin Potts: like issues with fit and all these things, but I didn't care.
01:06:34.078 --> 01:06:36.958
Colin Potts: I was like, I want my life back and I am fighting for this.
01:06:37.118 --> 01:06:41.598
Colin Potts: I was able to start and finish the 5K that April.
01:06:41.698 --> 01:06:46.858
Colin Potts: And so I come full circle and I was like so excited about where I was,
01:06:46.978 --> 01:06:49.698
Colin Potts: but then I wasn't done and getting back to the gym and getting.
01:06:49.990 --> 01:06:56.470
Colin Potts: At that point, it got its leg pressed to 600 pounds and squatting to 325 and
01:06:56.470 --> 01:06:59.650
Colin Potts: all the things I was deadlifting and all this at the gym.
01:06:59.810 --> 01:07:04.530
Colin Potts: And all of a sudden, ABC wanted to see it. And all these people really started
01:07:04.530 --> 01:07:06.450
Colin Potts: to go. And I was at this gym.
01:07:06.590 --> 01:07:12.050
Colin Potts: And when I would work out, I'd probably have sometimes 7,500 people watch because
01:07:12.050 --> 01:07:13.030
Colin Potts: I think they were just fascinated.
01:07:13.130 --> 01:07:15.410
Colin Potts: They'd never seen any MPT before in that.
01:07:15.630 --> 01:07:19.770
Colin Potts: So all of a sudden, my life kind of took off in a different trajectory. I was excited.
01:07:19.990 --> 01:07:24.110
Colin Potts: I was, you know, the CEO of a company and I was building my life back.
01:07:24.250 --> 01:07:27.590
Colin Potts: And but it was just still it was one more step every day.
01:07:27.810 --> 01:07:33.050
Colin Potts: And then and then meeting people in PT and stroke patients and helping them
01:07:33.050 --> 01:07:35.570
Colin Potts: walk again and getting them to believe in themselves.
01:07:35.790 --> 01:07:39.650
Colin Potts: And all of a sudden, this this kind of calling is kind of birthed out of this
01:07:39.650 --> 01:07:44.670
Colin Potts: whole process to help others and to give back and give people hope.
01:07:44.670 --> 01:07:49.950
Colin Potts: And it just, I was really excited because I was getting my life back and fighting for it.
01:07:50.090 --> 01:07:52.410
Colin Potts: And there was a new norm and it was good.
01:07:52.610 --> 01:07:56.010
Colin Potts: And things were just, as we said, just because things are different doesn't
01:07:56.010 --> 01:07:58.590
Colin Potts: mean they can't be good. And it certainly was good.
01:07:58.610 --> 01:08:02.030
Colin Potts: And I was certainly very proud of the progress, but I was like,
01:08:02.070 --> 01:08:04.050
Colin Potts: I'm not done yet. I'm not done yet at all.
01:08:04.230 --> 01:08:08.810
Colin Potts: You know, and then it just continued and Amputee Coalition, Peer Visitor and
01:08:08.810 --> 01:08:14.490
Colin Potts: all these other things that kept coming from this. and being able to be on a podcast like this.
01:08:14.630 --> 01:08:19.030
Colin Potts: And it's just, it's really this whole calling now to help others.
01:08:19.230 --> 01:08:22.750
Colin Potts: And as I said, when I wake up, the very first thing I say to myself in the morning
01:08:22.750 --> 01:08:24.370
Colin Potts: is I wanna give one person hope today.
01:08:24.570 --> 01:08:28.710
Colin Potts: So, so much has kind of come from it and from the pain and from that,
01:08:28.850 --> 01:08:33.430
Colin Potts: but certainly there was tough days, but I really kind of was resolved in the
01:08:33.430 --> 01:08:36.490
Colin Potts: sense of you can knock me down, but I will get back up.
01:08:36.690 --> 01:08:42.690
Colin Potts: I will dust myself off and I will go live life. And I try to give people that
01:08:42.690 --> 01:08:45.250
Colin Potts: encouragement because it's easy to give up.
01:08:45.370 --> 01:08:49.410
Colin Potts: It's easy not to want to get back in the game. It's hard. But through every
01:08:49.410 --> 01:08:53.170
Colin Potts: step was worth it. And having lost so much...
01:08:53.808 --> 01:08:58.168
Colin Potts: I wasn't going to squander a day in my life because having seen so much loss
01:08:58.168 --> 01:09:04.068
Colin Potts: in my life and how fragile life was and how much a gift of life every day is
01:09:04.068 --> 01:09:08.828
Colin Potts: a gift and really believing in that and nurturing that gift.
01:09:09.008 --> 01:09:11.608
Colin Potts: And, you know, I have no regrets about any of this.
01:09:11.828 --> 01:09:16.188
Colin Potts: And it's just it became a really powerful driving point in my life.
01:09:16.328 --> 01:09:20.628
Colin Potts: And that's that thing I'm most proud of is taking all the sadness and losing
01:09:20.628 --> 01:09:24.848
Colin Potts: another brother five years ago, but a learning disability into pancreatic cancer
01:09:24.848 --> 01:09:26.168
Colin Potts: and going through that during COVID.
01:09:26.448 --> 01:09:30.648
Colin Potts: And it kind of prepped me for everything that, you know, kind of my whole life
01:09:30.648 --> 01:09:32.248
Colin Potts: has prepped me for the next thing.
01:09:32.388 --> 01:09:36.088
Colin Potts: And, and so that's, but now it's like, okay, well, let's take all this experience
01:09:36.088 --> 01:09:38.248
Colin Potts: and let's take these stories and let's share them.
01:09:38.348 --> 01:09:42.208
Colin Potts: And if we can inspire people to first be their best and, and,
01:09:42.228 --> 01:09:45.408
Colin Potts: and live, live life to its fullest every day, because it's fragile,
01:09:45.628 --> 01:09:48.868
Colin Potts: but knowing that they can overcome any adversity, like I said,
01:09:48.968 --> 01:09:50.468
Colin Potts: faith in God, faith in yourself,
01:09:50.688 --> 01:09:54.228
Colin Potts: and just a positive outlook and how to build a positive outlook.
01:09:54.448 --> 01:09:56.968
Colin Potts: So that's kind of where we've come.
01:09:57.188 --> 01:10:02.248
Colin Potts: And I'm really excited to be here today to share these experiences and hopefully
01:10:02.248 --> 01:10:04.128
Colin Potts: make a difference in someone's life.
01:10:04.888 --> 01:10:11.248
Kevin Lowe: Yeah, 100%. Well, Colin, to say that it's been a joy getting to speak with you
01:10:11.248 --> 01:10:12.668
Kevin Lowe: today would be an understatement.
01:10:12.988 --> 01:10:17.528
Kevin Lowe: I absolutely love your outlook on life.
01:10:17.528 --> 01:10:23.608
Kevin Lowe: I love the stories that you've shared, the overcoming, the honestly,
01:10:23.848 --> 01:10:29.008
Kevin Lowe: the reminder to us all that we're so much more capable of,
01:10:29.565 --> 01:10:33.145
Kevin Lowe: of overcoming than we think we will be.
01:10:34.145 --> 01:10:37.225
Kevin Lowe: I know myself, I mean, there's many things I think of.
01:10:37.605 --> 01:10:43.585
Kevin Lowe: I can't imagine if this happens. But the fact is true is that God equips us
01:10:43.585 --> 01:10:45.965
Kevin Lowe: with what we need when we need it.
01:10:46.225 --> 01:10:49.105
Kevin Lowe: And you have a beautiful story of that.
01:10:49.305 --> 01:10:52.825
Kevin Lowe: It's just been an absolute honor to get to hear all of this.
01:10:53.005 --> 01:10:58.405
Kevin Lowe: My last question for you, honestly, is for the person listening today,
01:10:58.405 --> 01:11:00.865
Kevin Lowe: hey, how can we support you?
01:11:01.085 --> 01:11:06.045
Kevin Lowe: How can we be sure that somebody has stayed plugged into your world,
01:11:06.285 --> 01:11:10.725
Kevin Lowe: is there for you to help you keep living out this mission?
01:11:11.025 --> 01:11:15.845
Colin Potts: Well, I appreciate that. And I think, you know, I'm finishing a book and I hope
01:11:15.845 --> 01:11:20.185
Colin Potts: to have that, you know, really done after the holidays where I've gotten really
01:11:20.185 --> 01:11:22.665
Colin Potts: close on that and really just,
01:11:22.865 --> 01:11:26.905
Colin Potts: you know, being aware of the book comes out and following me on,
01:11:26.985 --> 01:11:29.325
Colin Potts: you know, Facebook and Instagram and those things.
01:11:29.585 --> 01:11:33.765
Colin Potts: And, and really sharing the story and like this podcast, if someone's down or
01:11:33.765 --> 01:11:38.265
Colin Potts: someone needs, uh, is going through something tough is, is really just sharing
01:11:38.265 --> 01:11:41.405
Colin Potts: these experiences and getting it out in the world for me.
01:11:41.505 --> 01:11:45.865
Colin Potts: And it's just one more person you reach and, you know, you kind of built that traction.
01:11:46.125 --> 01:11:49.325
Colin Potts: And, you know, my goal is to speak at, I say national stadium,
01:11:49.545 --> 01:11:53.185
Colin Potts: cause it's downtown and now it's four years and, and to do that.
01:11:53.185 --> 01:11:56.145
Colin Potts: And so I just need people to share my experiences.
01:11:56.585 --> 01:11:58.785
Colin Potts: And then just, you know, if anyone's out there,
01:11:59.507 --> 01:12:03.487
Colin Potts: If you need any help, just contact me. I'll walk with you as many steps as you
01:12:03.487 --> 01:12:07.567
Colin Potts: want me to, you know, and share what I can share to help make your life better.
01:12:07.767 --> 01:12:12.387
Colin Potts: But just sharing the stories and experiences and reading the book and doing
01:12:12.387 --> 01:12:16.167
Colin Potts: those things just helps me build out in the world.
01:12:16.467 --> 01:12:21.667
Colin Potts: And it's people are like, I'm so glad I found you and I needed to find you.
01:12:21.847 --> 01:12:24.887
Colin Potts: And then you start to see that it's not coincidence when you start,
01:12:25.127 --> 01:12:29.127
Colin Potts: you know, certain people kind of pass through and you make contact with.
01:12:29.127 --> 01:12:30.287
Colin Potts: Or they make contact with me.
01:12:30.507 --> 01:12:32.807
Colin Potts: And it's that sharing.
01:12:33.047 --> 01:12:37.927
Colin Potts: And when we share together, we build better lives together. And that's certainly important to me.
01:12:38.087 --> 01:12:42.827
Colin Potts: And that's all I want to do is share these experiences as raw and real as they
01:12:42.827 --> 01:12:48.387
Colin Potts: are so that I can help you better your life and help you through when you're
01:12:48.387 --> 01:12:52.447
Colin Potts: down and when you've been knocked down and kind of the steps of, you know,
01:12:52.567 --> 01:12:55.787
Colin Potts: how to stand back up and how to live life again.
01:12:55.787 --> 01:12:59.947
Colin Potts: But that would be a great gift if you can just follow and share my story.
01:13:00.470 --> 01:13:05.410
Kevin Lowe: Yeah, well, I will be positive that everything related to you,
01:13:05.670 --> 01:13:12.230
Kevin Lowe: links, books, everything is in the episode show notes as well as on the website
01:13:12.230 --> 01:13:14.550
Kevin Lowe: for anybody to have easy access to.
01:13:14.910 --> 01:13:19.310
Kevin Lowe: So please, by all means, if you're listening today, please be sure that you
01:13:19.310 --> 01:13:22.150
Kevin Lowe: check out today's show notes or head on over to the website,
01:13:22.610 --> 01:13:27.570
Kevin Lowe: GritGraceInspiration.com, where you can find all of Colin's information.
01:13:28.090 --> 01:13:34.650
Kevin Lowe: Colin, my man, just one more time. Thank you so much for taking the time to be here.
01:13:35.150 --> 01:13:39.170
Colin Potts: Well, Kevin, I can't thank you enough. I remember our first conversation and
01:13:39.170 --> 01:13:44.690
Colin Potts: within like a minute, I was like, we were supposed to meet. Our paths were supposed to cross.
01:13:44.930 --> 01:13:49.810
Colin Potts: And, you know, when I listen to your questions and that, I know with your experiences
01:13:49.810 --> 01:13:52.250
Colin Potts: and that we were supposed to meet.
01:13:52.250 --> 01:13:58.610
Colin Potts: I greatly appreciate the opportunity to be with you and look forward to a friendship,
01:13:58.850 --> 01:14:00.430
Colin Potts: you know, like friends for forever.
01:14:00.710 --> 01:14:04.590
Colin Potts: And that's the greatest gift of, you know, is being able to speak on the podcast.
01:14:04.590 --> 01:14:08.410
Colin Potts: But it's the friendship that I feel like we've developed and will continue to develop.
01:14:08.530 --> 01:14:10.850
Colin Potts: That's going to be the greatest gift of today.
01:14:11.410 --> 01:14:15.990
Kevin Lowe: Yeah, I agree 100 percent. Well, man, well, thank you so much.
01:14:16.170 --> 01:14:20.310
Kevin Lowe: And for you listening today, thank you so much for being here.
01:14:20.310 --> 01:14:24.530
Kevin Lowe: I hope you've enjoyed our conversation with Colin as much as I have.
01:14:24.730 --> 01:14:28.570
Kevin Lowe: Hopefully you're smiling as big as I am. You're thinking about life,
01:14:28.710 --> 01:14:34.570
Kevin Lowe: maybe in a little bit deeper sense than when you first came and hit play on this podcast.
01:14:34.790 --> 01:14:39.930
Kevin Lowe: That's what today's episode is here for, is to give you just a change in perspective
01:14:39.930 --> 01:14:43.830
Kevin Lowe: to look at life from a different angle. Sometimes we just need that reminder.
01:14:44.290 --> 01:14:48.830
Kevin Lowe: So until our next episode, I just hope that you enjoy your day.
01:14:48.830 --> 01:14:50.430
Kevin Lowe: Thank you for being here.
01:14:50.610 --> 01:14:55.450
Kevin Lowe: If there's somebody in your life who you're thinking of who needs to hear this
01:14:55.450 --> 01:14:58.550
Kevin Lowe: message, please be sure to share today's episode with them.
01:14:58.810 --> 01:15:02.110
Kevin Lowe: So until next time, I'm your host, Kevin Lowe. And my friend,
01:15:02.390 --> 01:15:04.490
Kevin Lowe: this is grit, grace, and inspiration.