Taking it all in stride

Cyclists make Henderson stop to honor local man

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North Las Vegas maintenance worker Anthony Burruto was working on the side of the road near Kneip Park near Lake Mead Boulevard and Civic Center Drive in April 2005, when he was struck by a car.

Burruto said he felt a burst of air and realized he was pinned between his city work truck and the driver's red Pontiac. He said he had a sensation of walking in clouds, and when he opened his eyes, he was asked if he knew where he was.

"I said it can't be hell, so it's either heaven or a hospital," Burruto said.

The nurse told Burruto doctors had to amputate both of his legs.

"It's something you don't want to hear in your life," he said.

For the past year, Burruto worked to walk again using prosthetic legs. Because of his efforts to overcome great difficulty, Amputees Across America and the city of Henderson's mayor's office recognized Burruto at a ceremony June 9 at HealthSouth Rehab Hospital in Henderson.

"He's very stubborn and a go-getter. Nothing stopped him," said Nancy Burruto, Anthony's wife.

Each year, three bicyclists with at least one leg amputated ride across America, making stops at recovery hospitals along the way with the Amputees Across America team.

They visit hospitals from California to Florida over a period of 60 days. Henderson was the trio's second hospital stop. The national outreach program raises awareness and money to aid those who have lost a limb.

Next year, Anthony hopes to join the team, riding on a specially tailored tricycle.

"If I can make a difference in one person's life, I know I have succeeded," Anthony said.

Anthony's main concern is to talk to teenagers and young people about the dangers of becoming distracted while they are driving.

"Don't eat, don't drink, don't use cell phones; women don't do makeup and men don't shave while driving," he said.

Anthony said the driver of the vehicle that hit him, Jesus Cervantes Cano, was picking up food that had dropped in the car when he bumped the wheel and the car hit Anthony. Cano was later convicted of the misdemeanors of failing to give full time and attention to driving and driving without a license.

Anthony said Cano served only 10 months in jail, but he will struggle his entire life for Cano's actions.

"If you don't care for your life, then care for the other person's life," Anthony said.

He stressed that it is far more important to arrive safely five or 10 minutes late than to speed or to become distracted by speaking on the phone while driving.

Anthony received special recognition from Amputees Across America for the progress he had made in his recovery at the Henderson hospital.

The team's next stop was the HealthSouth in Glendale, Ariz.

Joe Sapere, 65, founded Amputees Across America four years ago as a challenge to himself. After riding across the country once, Sapere realized he could inspire other people with amputated limbs to lead active lives.

"When faced with a challenge, we have a choice. We can either face it or give up," Sapere said.

Primarily, the group serves to boost morale and to show amputees they should overcome their differences and live life normally.

"Even when faced with adversity, you can still lead an active life," Sapere said. "Even though I'm missing a leg, that doesn't stop me."

Sapere, a retired Air Force colonel, lost his leg after a mid-air collision with another sky diver in February 2000. He said he is not a professional bicyclist, and that if he can make the ride, anyone can.

Amber "A.J." Johnson of Georgia lost her leg after struggling for nine years to save her left ankle after it was injured in a car accident when she was 17.

At 29, Johnson is now riding with Amputees Across America to prove to fellow amputees that a normal lifestyle is possible. "You may have to do it differently, but you can still do it," she said.

Johnson said her presence at the hospitals serves as a visual example of what people are capable of doing.

"I call it my pay-it-forward attitude," she said. "I do it for other people by giving them somebody to look to."

Johnson described herself as stubborn to the group of about 50 hospital employees and patients in the hospital's cafeteria.

"Set goals and do what you can to reach them. That's what got me where I am," she said.

Fifty-two-year-old Ohio native Gary Summers, the third bicyclist on the team, teared up as he addressed the crowd.

"I didn't want to be on the sidelines watching everything go by. I wanted to do everything I could," Summers said.

Summers lost his leg after his motorcycle collided with another in 2003.

"Here I am, riding a bicycle," he said.

On the way out, Sapere told Anthony he would see him next year for the ride.

Anthony is still in a wheelchair, but Nancy said it will be his goal to ride with the team in 2007.

"He's a tough man and he's going to get through this," she said.

For more information on Amputees Across America and how to donate to the organization, go to www.amputeesacrossamerica.com, or call (757) 630-1779.