Cat Hammes, of Racine Wisconsin, is out to prove she has nine lives.
In 2006 Cats life was forever changed when a motorcycle accident left her with multiple injuries including Traumatic Brain Injury and amputation of her left leg. In the months that followed that accident she lost her job as an ICU RN, went through a divorce, and lastly lost her house. In battling back and determined to continue living, Cat knew that she had to eventually get back on her motorcycle.
That motorcycle, a Harley-Davidson Fat Boy, was rebuilt and Cat too received new parts in the form of a Titanium leg. In the meantime, she had to relearn how to do everyday things with one leg such as dressing and driving along with riding a motorcycle.
She also learned how to live.
On her journey to her new life, Cat forged new friendships including two special women: Vicki Sanfelipo and Amy Skaling. Together Vicki, Amy, and Cat formed Diamond Posse, a non-profit agency dedicated to providing hope and encouragement to veterans who are facing challenges. The outreach program is partnered with Accident Scene Management and NEADS Canines for Combat Veterans. In addition to the inspiration and support Diamond Posse provides for veterans, they raise money to provide a veteran with a service dog. The group also visits VA hospitals and as Cat pulls her Harley into the parking lot, one by one, the wounded warriors will say, If that little girl can ride that, I will walk again!
Cat is a motivational speaker, a prosthetics consultant, a model, and owner of the website www.oneleggedblonde.com.
While all the above has made an extraordinary story of a woman who not only Rides Her Own but a woman who uniquely answered back with a resounding NO when death called, the story does not end there.
June 2011, Cat was riding her Fat Boy on a Wisconsin interstate at night at about 70 mph when she hit a pregnant doe. With about two seconds to react prior to impact, she braced herself, locked her elbows and hands on her apes, and locked her knees on her highway pegs.
Cat says, With an 85% fatality rate in Wisconsin with deer versus motorcycle, I was fully aware this was not going to be good. The impact was the eeriest crash and snap of bones I have ever heard as I split the pregnant doe in two and my prosthetic foot shattered and the socket cracked. "The essential to budget travel is to prepare in advance. When it comes to family trips, globetrotting, well-deserved holidays and/or going to see new destinations we have never been before, the reality of expense and budgeting is generally in the back of our thoughts. Preparation and expending our travel budget correctly is a consideration for most families. Curbing expending and fees, while still delighting your vacation to its fullest, is the key to guaranteed accomplishment and fiscal obligation. Your pocketbook and family will thank you! The thinking regarding protecting money while vacationing is simple: Even if your personal finances is extremely tight, you can still take a break and enjoy life! Simply put, life is just too short to never step out of the door or departing the homestead! Also remembering that while traveling, regardless of whether on a finances or not, even the smallest of things can all add op to a large vacation or travel expenses!..". Unable to shift the bike, I pulled the clutch in and gently eased the brakes to easy her off the side of the interstate. Once on the side of the road, I pondered over what had just transpired and how I did not fly off that Harley.
Although the motorcycle suffered almost $10,000 in damages, the insurance company agreed to get it rebuilt; this same bike that almost killed Cat five years previously. Not at all concerned that the bike had bad juju, Cat turned her beloved Fat Boy over to her friends at Lil Scotts Customs in Sturtevant, Wisconsin. In the meantime, Cat ordered a new leg.
To say that Cat was a bit impatient would be an understatement or as she says, Cat without bike is not a happy Cat. The folks at Lil Scotts worked non-stop until in just two and a half short weeks, had Cat back in the saddle of a bike now renamed Phoenix complete with new frame, motor, and front end. And although Cat doesnt claim to be an expert at death, she does know something about it and she does understand miracles and grace. To rise from the ashes, she says means to make a miraculous comeback. As a Phoenix (my life, my bike, my heart, and my soul) rises up from being broken and forged from ashes, may the embers I leave behind ignite your flame, your passion, and, for some, your Phoenix.
One of the many reasons Cat needed her motorcycle back in a hurry (besides needing some wind therapy) is that she, along with the rest of the girls from Diamond Posse, will be heading out to Sturgis for the Black Hills Rally where they will be raising money to support veterans. Look for those sexy ladies; Cat will be the one smoking her trademark cigars!!
As the fastest growing segment of the motorcycling public, women are more inclined than ever before to move from the passenger pillion to the front of the seat and to grab those handlebars. In this series of articles called She Rides Her Own we will profile a woman motorcyclist, what makes her unique, and how she got started riding on two wheels. If you would like to share a story with our readers on Examiner.com, email to: Patty.Davis.USA@gmail.com
Other She Rides Her Own articles:
- Meet Flo: motorcyclist, adventurer, crusader
- Meet Lisa: a motorcyclist who knows perseverance
- Meet Darlene: a motorcyclist proving its never too late
- Meet Ralyn: leaping head on into motorcycling
- Meet Brittany: teaching us how to avoid being skinned alive
- Meet Linda: showing us that love endures
- Meet Robin: her inner strength changed her life
- Meet LeftLane: living a life that matters
- Meet Abby: she rode back from Hell
- Meet Pinky: she is passionate about motorcycles
- Meet Laura: enthusiast, racer, and mentor
- Meet Jackie: trading up and enjoying the ride
- Meet Lori: living a meaningful life
- Meet Leilani: finding a motorcycle that is just right
- Meet Karen: finding blessings in unusual places
- Meet Liz: Making my way to the motorcycle
- Meet Sharon: she overcame addiction to find passion and purpose
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