The recent Heavy Load Grasshopper resulted in many heart warming and thoughtful comments.  Each writer shared a lesson in courage.

One response touched me deeply.  I thought I knew David Jones' story.  Seems I did not know 'the rest of the story.'  I asked permission to share, believing you would find David's ongoing journey inspiring, as I did.

David is a brilliant and successful entrepreneur.   For decades he has generously shared his knowledge and fortune .  He was a marathon runner. A cyclist. He kept himself in top physical condition.  He was engaged in many good facets of his community. Life for David and his family could not have been better. And then, the unimaginable happened.  While gardening, a rusty nail pierced his hand. Subsequently leading to sepsis and toxic shock, a fight for his life, and eventually the amputation of his right hand and forearm.  He is lucky to be alive.  We are lucky he survived to share his former and new-found wisdom.  Here is his response to The Grasshopper:

From David Jones. July 27 2025

From one simple person who experienced a trauma I would never wish on anyone: 

For eight or nine months I dealt with the emotional side of that heavy load. I think in most cases we can deal with physical trauma, but the mental trauma is something that defeats so many of us.

Often people say “do you mind if I ask you what happened? I tell them - and then I share how I moved forward - I tell them:  I learned a couple of things. The first was to find out how to face PTSD.  I did that by researching what it is and what its impacts are. For me, being able to break down why I was having those feelings mentally and physically, helped me understand what I needed to do to move on with my life - a life that was now forever changed.

I thought about who I am and what I had learned over my career, the challenges faced and overcome. I soon realized that God had prepared me for this life-changing trauma. I realized that my purpose now was to use this preparation to help other people face trauma and its effects. To help them, as it had helped me, to work my way back both physically and mentally. I realized that helping others would be my key purpose...not just in facing the sobering trauma of life and death, but also - for those who needed it - overcoming a complex and difficult journey as an amputee.

Often when someone asks me about all this, I turn to them and say “Believe it or not, I am a better person for having traveled through this life-threatening, devastating experience. It has made me appreciative and thankful for what I have. It has helped me, whenever I meet people  - and whoever they are - to look for the good  in them. I find it every time. It helps lighten their load and mine."

David H. Jones