Latest / Numotion Ally Program Podcast / Wheelin' With Dylan: Racing Against All Odds With Lance Fenderson
Transcript
- Leah Holderbaum: Hello, welcome to the Willin' with Dylan podcast. I'm your host, Dylan Kelly, and then we have on our guest Lance Fenderson today. So happy to ha have you. Thanks for joining, Lance. Yeah, absolutely. Thanks for having me. Yeah, of of course. H how are you doing? Doing well. Like I said, just got home from work, so long day, a little tired, but yeah, excited to be on here and getting to talk with you. Cool. Well I appreciate that. You're you took some time out of your day. I know sometimes it's hard to do like anything after work. Yeah. What what do you do what do you do for work? So I'm an additive manufacturing engineer at a company called Keslowski Advanced Manufacturing. It's in Statesville, North Carolina. we were recently acquired, so we're also known as Adman Group. but the original company was called Keslowski Advanced Manufacturing. So the really basic way of explaining it is that we're doing metal 3D printing. So it's it's a very new technology. it's kind of trailblazing the manufacturing world. so the the printers that we use are called powder bed fusion, additive manufacturing printers. So we have some that take up like entire rooms, their massive machines and they're essentially melting powder metal powder layer by layer. and it's most of the stuff that we're doing is for like space or aerospace or military or automotive fields so it's a lot of it offers you like The ability to make some parts that you wouldn't be able to make with typical like casting or machining and so that's why it's it's it's appealing to to those those companies that are making really complicated parts that have some crazy functionality to them. Well, that's cool. I mean, to be honest, what I got from all that is you sound like a really smart guy and I wouldn't be able to do your job 'cause but it it sounds cool what you do. You What did you go to school for to be able to get into that again? I went for mechanical engineering. Okay. So w when you got hurt, were you going through school already or were you how how old were ya? Yeah, I was seventeen, so I was still in high school. I was in my junior year, and it was like the last week of school. my junior year of high school. So I when I was in the hospital that's kinda the period of time where you're doing most of your college applications, like over the summer between your junior and senior year of high school. So I remember doing a lot of my college applications, like in Shepherd. wow. That's crazy. So if you don't mind just speaking on that a little bit. So you got hurt when you were about seventeen, and you said you went to Shepherd's? Yeah. Okay, cool. And so wha what what's like your story if you don't mind. I mean, I really want to talk about what you're doing now, but if you don't mind giving everybody a little background story of how you got hurt and how the recovery was and everything. Yeah, so like I said, I was seventeen, this was in May of twenty nineteen. I broke my neck in a lacrosse game. So I had a Collision with another player. I was on defense, he was on offense, and it broke my C five, six and seven. So I'm fused from four to eight. and I think technically I classify somewhere around C five. I initially went to the hospital in Asheville, North Carolina. my that's where my injury was. Had my fusion done there and I was there for about a week and then I was transferred to Shepherd Center. where I w finished out my rehab for the next f four to five months. I think I went home September first or something about there. Okay. wow. So yeah, it was a long process as as yeah. Yeah, every day feels like like a c like a month in there sometimes. But I mean there's there's definitely positives from it. But you and I just missed each other, so I got hurt in November twenty nineteen and was filmed to Shepherds at the end of that month. So if you stuck around for another two months, we probably would have met each other around then. but you know, you're you're killing it, like, as far as just You know, I talked to you a little bit, but I f you know, follow you on Instagram and I saw a story that Shepherds had done. And you know, we talk about our stories about, you know, how and everybody does with spinal cord injuries, when you get hurt, how is life changing? For you, you know, you're seventeen, you're like you said, you're about to end high school, go into college and appl apply and everything, and something happens that you d you didn't expect. Nobody expects or plans on on these kind of things to happen. But it's all about how you adjust, right? About how you adapt. And that's what I'd like to focus on, especially today, because I think a lot of people could learn from you and how you did so, and includ including myself, because we're always adapting. That's just what that's just what life is in general. so now, you know, you're super into into into racing. You're not just into it, you're really good at it. You're, you know, a legit professional here. I'm not talking to someone who just enjoys and messes around with it every once in a while. so I don't want to downplay it. have you always been into racing? Yeah. I got into a go-kart for the first time when I was about four and a half years old. So I was having For as long as I can remember and way beyond. I was kinda starting out when I was living up in New Hampshire, so I did some races around the northeast, started out at a track called F One Boston and then started working up through the ranks. Eventually we moved to North Carolina, partially for racing, for better racing and to be around a better more known track. continued up through the national ranks of karting. I was the top ranked driver when I was in juniors and then started at at the age of fourteen I started doing some actual car stuff. So I started out in open wheel, doing what's called F sixteen hundred. So for people that aren't too familiar with racing, it's essentially like an indie car or a Formula One car, those style cars with just no down force. So no big rear wing, no big front wing, no splitters and side skirts and all this stuff. Like it's just a raw kinda chassis and open wheel, open cockpit car. so that was what I did first and then I took that and w and jumped over into sports car racing, so I started racing Mazda Miatas. And that's surprisingly some of the best racing you can find. Like you can ask anybody in racing. Like X five and Mazda Miata Racing is top notch 'cause it's just so competitive. and then after that, I broke my neck. And so I was out of it for a couple of years. I definitely like didn't know what was possible and didn't really see that role model that I was looking for early on. And I may have seen one or two people that could have been a role model, but at the time I just wasn't ready to see it that that way. think I was kind of in denial and just kinda in the mindset of I'll never be back doing that, like it doesn't even it's not worth my time, it's not worth my thought. Yeah. But yeah, so that was kinda that's kinda my racing history leading up to getting back in a car. Cool. That that that's awesome. I mean so what was your mindset, right? So when you get hurt, you aren't think you're not thinking about racing. And that and That's so true. I mean, like I I can recall even when I got hurt, a lot of the stuff that I was thinking about went completely out the window. Like all of a sudden, you know, you have to think about important stuff. It's almost like surviving at first. And gaining your independence, making you know, fighting to have a good quality of life, adjusting to your new circumstances, you know, like all that. so I know I can understand why racing probably wasn't even a a thought and then and then when it is, you know, it's like I don't know Can I even do that? Is it gonna be the same? And I'm sure you had a lot of doubts and stuff like that. Well do you remember the moment that you realized like, you know what? Like this might I could do I could actually do this again? Like this might be possible. I think I remember the the first real ounce of hope that I got. I don't think I knew, but I f I think I had a little s like a fleck of some just something that was like could there be something here still like so that was maybe a year out from my injury we had a ri so let me actually take a step back. So we had a really good family friend that I did some track days with and he was a parent of of a girl that was a few two grades below me. So just family friends that was also interested in racing and we went to the track with him here and there. And when I was in the hospital he came in and this was maybe two, three f three weeks in pet post injury. And he came to me with a pair of keys to a BMW three race car and a and a little lanyard that had a a kinda name plate, name tag on it, that was a a membership card to the to the track that's near us. and he came in and he kinda said to me, he was like, You're gonna ra like, you're gonna drive again. It's gonna be a while. gonna take some work, but you're gonna be driving again. And I want you to hold on to this set of keys and this membership until you're ready. And that was not my moment of realization. I took it still denying he was crazy and kinda at the time probably thought he was an ass for bringing that into into the hospital room and teasing me with it almost at that point, right? Yeah. But I kept the keys and we we were good friends and so we saw here and there and we went over to their house for dinner one night. This was probably about a year after my injury. Not even that. It was a couple months after I left the hospital. So let's say let's say eight months post injury. Okay. We went back over to his house and he told me to bring the keys. 'Cause I still had them. He told me to bring the keys. I was like, alright. I don't know why. I kinda wonder. Alright, I'll bring the keys. I still hadn't even driven anything at this point. I didn't have a streetcar. I my my parents drove me around, right? Yeah. and after dinner he told me to come outside and he He said, I want you to like he brought me kinda outside the front door, he was like, wait here. And he went into the garage and he pulled out a Porsche nine eleven GT three car. Which is like if you know cars, it's one of the most highly recognized cars in the world. Like it's just a beautiful piece of art. beautiful piece of machinery. And he pulls it out, pulls it around, parks it right in front of me, gets out and hands me the keys to that and takes his BMW keys back. He's like he's pretty much like, alright Here's a like you got an upgrade. It wasn't a me upgrade, it was a him upgrade, but I had the backup set of keys, so he needed reading in I think or something. But he showed me that and he said This is also yours, theor like morally, whatever, theoretically. This is also yours and we're gonna put hand controls in this and you're gonna go drive it. And I was just like, You're You're kidding, like there's no way. Yeah. but he followed through and they put hand controls in it. it's just a simple left hand push for brake, pull for throttle, and then a tri pin that we put on the steering wheel. And we started out, he let me go out, like on street normal roads. And I kinda drove around. I was like this I mean it's pretty crazy first car to like drive in the ankle. You think? But eventually we took it to the track and I got to run a couple laps driving. And I think that was the day that I got a little ounce of hope. I still didn't really know if there was much, but I knew I could at least get around the track. Yeah. I might I might need somebody else there, I might need some crazy technology, I don't know. But I got around the track. So I was like, there's at least something. Like I d I did that much, right? So the biggest thing though, it was really frustrating I think in that moment because it was also a moment of realization that it wasn't the same as as where I left off. Yeah. And at the time that I left off I was this incredibly talented, highly ranked driver with a big future and now it was like okay, I made it around a lot. Yeah. So it was it was bittersweet. There were definitely it was definitely a moment where I was like, okay, maybe this something here, I just did a lap, I sh like I should be grateful, I should be happy. But there was also another part of me that was like I felt so uncomfortable and that is not how I remember racing or driving on track like and that that side of it pissed me off, I guess. No, for sure. but I think that that day was the moment where I was like, okay, maybe maybe something could happen. Yeah. and then things really picked up from there. Yeah, that's a that's a great way of putting it. I mean so it's not nearly the same 'cause I wasn't like some someone who's highly sought out for and like going to the NBA or anything, but before I got hurt I was playing basketball three, four times a week. And sh in Shepherd Center in rehab, I remember, it was like the first time you know, I went to go shoot a basketball and I was still like I had like the p I was in a power chair and everything. I remember being like kind of annoyed. And I'm like, man, everything that I feel like I kinda worked for had kinda been different but now I've learned there's a lot of adaptive sports and you just kinda relearn and adjust. But that feeling must have been A a mix of emotions like you said, so wow, good, I I can do it. This is nice, like I can drive again. That's feel that's that feels good. But it's different. It's definitely different. But now I'm gonna fast forward and I'm gonna say s something and I want you to explain to us w what that means, what you've done, and brag about yourself a little bit, okay? So Pikes Peak. Pikes Peak in Colorado. What what do you do? And talk about what what you did to get there as well, if you don't mind. Yeah. might be shorter to discuss what I didn't do. It was a crazy couple of months. it it all started last June. I was invited out there by a potential sponsor at the time. my dad said it's not gonna happen. He had to be in New York. I told him he was crazy we needed to go. So he flew from New York. I got my girlfriend to fly with me from Charlotte. We met him in Denver, got to wave the green flag for Lonnie Yunser, who's daughter, granddaughter, great granddaughter of legends on that mountain. so I got to wave the green flag for her last year, got to meet some people and kinda got that spark in me of like I wanna be back here. Like I don't know I don't know how but but I wanna be back here. Yeah. and so I kinda dedicated myself over the next twelve months to finding my way back to Pikes Peak in a race car. and if you're around racing at all, Pikes Peak is a really big name. Like it's a world renowned, very well known hill climb. and very well respected hill climb. It's been running for a hundred and three years straight. and the course really hasn't changed other than the fact that they paved it a couple decades ago. So it's a very it's a it's a historical event. so it's it's a true honor to to get to race up Pike Speed. And so I kinda had to go through the trials and tribulations of of proving myself on track over the next six, eight months following last June so that I could build up a resume, get a reputation and and some trust and some people that can vouch for me. And then the four months leading up to the race were chaos. It was just like spont if you we were talking earlier about how it can Be a lot to get home and talk on a podcast and it's it's like it's so easy to just have conversation because I'm very used to getting on calls when I get home from work. Usually they're a lot more serious. So it's like I I get home from sep working seven AM to four PM. I get home and I'm on calls from five to ten. And it's like it was brutal for a couple months. And some of my sponsors for the event were in China, so I was like staying up super late to be able to talk to them. trying to knock out the American based sponsors, like right after work, sometimes during lunchtime. So it was it was just brutal leading up to it. But at the end of the day, we got a BMW two C S R. it's a inline six cylinder turbocharged four hundred and fifty horsepower BMW factory built race car. So it's it's a beast of a car, but it was also the fastest thing I had ever driven. like ever. other than the G T three, but at the time I was like right after my a accident, I wasn't driving it that hard. Okay. But yeah, that that two was it was a beast. And we s we took a it took a lot of effort to like get the car actually set up and running properly. took months leading up to the event, so Unfortunately I didn't even get the opportunity to drive the car before it went to Colorado. Wow. I did not expect that. I ever drove the car was on bike speed. Wow. So that was pretty insane and it it had its downsides that we can get to here soon. but yeah, so The way that the event is set up, there's a test weekend. So it's June sixth, seventh, eighth on on the mountain, running each sector, bottom sector, middle sector, top sector. And then I came home for a week, went back to work, flew back to Colorado, and then you have race week. So the entire week leading up to the main event is pretty chaotic as well. I'll take a break and let you ask if you if there's anything y so far you want to do a little bit more. No, thank thanks for for getting into it. for everyone listening and then myself included, you know, I'm always interested to hear how people just do things, you know, independently. It's as small as Whether it's like grocery shopping and and doing whatever, but especially when you get into like some of these like adaptive sports, adaptive shooting is something that like I wasn't familiar with that I always like learning about. I was talking to someone the other day, he does three B D printing now to like to ha to actually make like adaptive equipment, which I think was pretty cool. but I don't know so when it comes to driving funny. Yeah. Okay. We can talk about this more later. I don't even know if you can see it. It stretches a bit. It's like a giant bungee cord. Uh-huh. And it's what I use to help me cath. really? That was three D printed. That was something me and my buddy like designed before I had gone to college to So we can take a pause on the racing thing for a second. I dn because now I'm like my brain is going so many places. So you and your friend like built this off a three D printer? Yeah, I knew somebody that had a three D printer and I had a friend that knew how to do CAD and I I'm really good at CAD now, but this was five years ago before I'd gone to college. And he was like the only person I knew that knew how to do CAD. So I kinda told him what I wanted. He designed it. We sent it to my other friend that I knew that had a three D printer. He made a couple. They worked. And now I just keep the file and whenever I 'cause they break or I lose it's I don't know. Things happen. So I keep the file and just print new ones when when I need to. Yeah, that that's awesome. So how does How does it work? 'cause so adaptive driving, I mean, is I know a lot more straightforward, but I mean even for me, I know like I was so happy to be able to like drive a car again just because it meant independence for me. I felt like I was stuck on at my house and like kinda tied to my parents again, which I felt like I was like a you know, I took a couple of steps back, which we all, you know, are in that situation and we gotta do. but I mean I know that my job that's pretty easy. It's just I'm I'm driving all the time now. but adap what's different, and and what do you d how does it work with like racing and stuff? it's it's kind of all different, but somewhat the same I guess. So At least for the controls, I push for brake with my left hand, pull with my left hand for throttle. I'm driving with a tripin, so right hand is steering. we did an electronic steering reduction on the steering rack of the car, which essentially just makes it lighter. so it's easier to turn the wheel. And then I kind of self engineered a sip and puff straw into the shifter. So I blow to downshift and I suck to upshift. That's yeah. And as far as like the the rest of it, it it really does take a team. takes an army of people that that are willing to help and are willing to help because they care about you. And I'm lucky enough to have a huge support system that is the only reason that it's possible for me. my mom, my dad, my girlfriend are there every single day. my brother the rest of my family, the rest of my friends, my race team, my sponsors, everybody that's just like always willing to pitch a hand in here and there. It's what makes it possible. so like just getting in the car. I have a ton of help from either usually my dad or my girlfriend on getting my equipment on, getting my helmet, my Hans, my suit, my fire retardant stuff, my gloves, the sippin' puff around my neck, like all this stuff has to happen and a lot of it I can't do, at my level of injury, so it really does take an army. Yeah, well that that's awesome that you have a good support system around you, but I know at the end of the day it's you who who who has to do it and you're driven to to do it, which is huge and I th I'm sure you probably motivate and make everyone a around you happy. You know I mean it's not like one of those things I'm sure they feel like they're forced to do it. I'm sure that it brings them a lot of joy as well. So and it's awesome they're able to have fun and do it. An another really cool thing that I found with what you do with racing is a lot of the times with adaptive sports, you know, you're typically playing against other people who will have spinal cord injuries or some kind of, you know wheelchair bound whether it's disease or whatever the case is or amputees and stuff like that. But you're racing against like able bodied people. In fact, are you probably the like as far like when you're racing, you're the only one who has I've I've never raced against I know there are other people around. Yeah. But it's few and far between. I've never raced against another individual using hand controls. Wow, so what is so what is that like? Like what how does that make you feel just knowing that you can kind of Yeah be on an even playing ground in a way? Yeah, it's incredible. I mean it's like you like you were saying, it's the only thing I've found that I can go out and do and truly compete at something that's physical and and be able to compete with able bodied people. And not just like go out there and drive and last, like I can go out and win. Yeah. Which is something that I have found nowhere else. and I think it's incredible and I'm really lucky that that was my passion. That was what I cared about. that was what I loved and what gave me energy in the morning and what I thought about non stop and I'm very, very lucky that that ended up being the thing I found that allowed me to still compete with able bodied people. Yeah. and I haven't I don't know that I've ever thought about truly how lucky I am that that that that was just the coincidence. But but it racing is incredible and I think a lot a lot of people have found it to be a very therapeutic activity. Mm-hmm. The number of I didn't know it at first, but the number of individuals that have a spinal cord injury or some sort of disability physically that are in motor sports is actually insane. I would love for it to be even higher. Yeah. So that's why I'm doing this. I'm trying to get it out to as many people as I can so that that truth becomes known that like this is something you can do that's gonna really improve your mental health. so it's huge but it's it's still not it's still not enough people but it's it's crazy the the people that I've met along the way and that have turned into my role models and people I've met that I believe I've turned into their role models and and there really are a lot of people and it's a great outlet for for easing your mind. So Yeah. That's awesome. I'm really glad that you found something that has worked awesome for you as just like something you can compete in, something that makes you happy, brings you joy, gives you fulfillment, you know, all that. because that's and this on this podcast and then this Ally program In general, we just encourage everyone to just branch out and try to find what works for you. And this is an avenue that maybe no one has thought of before, maybe didn't think that it was even a possibility. but you're defeating the odds and you're showing everyone that it's it's it's very possible. and you can kind of be a role model to a lot of people who are looking to do that. and I'm glad that you have like a social media which we can put up on the podcast and everything like that as well for people to follow. Because it's cool to follow your journey. see how you do things, see see what you're you know, where you're racing, and and all of that. So I appreciate you coming on and and when that just to conclude some things too, some questions that I like to ask everyone is you've learned a lot. I mean you've talked to me and I feel like I can talk to you forever, but you've talked to me about like some of your journey and how you've gotten to the point here today. If you had to go back in time and talk to Lance when he Maybe around when he first got hurt. Now he might be going through a lot at that time. But right maybe, you know, d what what would you tell him? Any any words of advice or maybe something that would give him a hope or something like that? I hate these questions. I've been doing like so many job interviews over the last six months and I hate the interviews that are like Tell me a time when this or like what would you say to old you? Where are you gonna be in ten years? All these such like, I hate I know, that's why I did it. something I would say to the old me and I don't think I actually hate the question, I just hate that I've like I hate them because of the interviews I've been through. It's giving you PTSD right now. Yeah. this isn't an interview, you're good. something I would tell the old me I think something I learned that took me a couple a couple of years. I think one of the biggest things in with spinal cord injuries too is that there's there's a mental recovery timeline that you have to go through. Yeah. And there's almost no at least for me, there weren't too many people I would listen to after my injury. I was like It didn't matter what people were telling me, it it wouldn't really resonate and it wouldn't change the way I went about life. for a while. So you have to kinda get through your own mental your own mental process and that probably looks very different for each individual. but something that I learned and I ended up getting as my only tattoo that I have, is the word perspective. having a good perspective on every situation that you're in is extremely important. one of the biggest things that I try to focus on as much as I can and sometimes I even need a reminder is to think about most people will say think about the positive, but I I like to think about the negative in a way sometimes where if you truly consider where Where you could be in the wrong direction, it helps you appreciate where you are now. 'Cause a lot of people will think about there's there's this person that's walking, I really wish I was walking, I wish I was them. But for me it's really beneficial to look in the other direction and say there's somebody with a lot less capability than I have. There's somebody that's in a much worse mental state than I am. And it makes you super grateful for where you are and the opportunities that you do have. So that's something that I've tried to keep in mind, throughout the process is to not not let an ego form realize where you could be. And when I say that I I mean that in the negative way. Yeah. realize that you're lucky to be where you are and no matter where you are, there's always somebody that's gonna be a step ahead of you, there's always gonna be a step behind you. So just focus on you and appreciate where you're at. That's a great point. You know, I if I talk to others with spinal cord injuries and it's people are kinda always c like complaining about about different stuff I I I feel the same way that you do. I'm just like it c like I always have that viewpoint of like things could be worse. I'll I mean I'll tell you my one of my my first wake up call was actually pretty early w after I got hurt and it was in Shepherd Center. I had to go so I broke my hand in like the car accident that I was in or whatever. And so we had to like go get it like recasted or something. And so we went down to I think it was like the third floor where the casting was. and that's also where they kept like a lot of the patients with T BIs with traumatic brain injuries. Yeah. and I realize in that moment, like, okay, it really stinks that I suffered spinal cord injury, but I could also have, you know, a TBI or this could be happening or I could be dealing with some other health set issues. So perspective is is really good. I'm glad that you opened up about that. I appreciate that. 'Cause I think that's something that's a good mindset to have, you know, because it'll make things your day a little easier when you instead of throwing yourself a pity party, that's not really gonna do too much for you. Yeah, yeah, exactly. I appreciate that. And and like you talked about kind of before, like a lot of people when you do get hurt, they look at the fact that, you know, you can't walk and that does stink, but there's a lot more than that, right? that and that people don't t think talk about it's the ment the mental part of it is is a huge one. And then there's stuff that this the Ally program is very open about when it comes to like catheterizing your bowel and bladder program and stuff like that. how have you been able to to manage some of that? And then w an one question that I'm kinda interested in is how do you plan out, like when you know you're gonna go race and stuff like that, do you do anything specifically when it comes to your liquid intake and when you cath before to make sure that's not an issue when you're like mid race? Yeah. So I'll start with the day to day and just explaining like the way that I do things 'cause it's different for everybody, right? I use intermittent catheter s from sp I think it's called Speedy Cath. Uhhuh. The brand is maybe coloplast. Like colaplast, it's the colaps one. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Speedy cath. these little turquoise things I keep in my bag. I have a little bag that I keep on the back of my chair and I can just flip it around and grab what I need when I need it. so I I will say that for a C five maybe I shouldn't even say this out loud, I'll knock on wood, but for a C five spinal cord injury, I have been extremely lucky with my with my bladder and bowel. Time. I went through a rough couple years and I don't know if it's the medication that I ended up getting on or just your body adjusting over time. but the first four years post injury I was getting so many UTIs. Like mo like a couple a month. it was it was just like I couldn't escape it. I don't know why, I just it was brutal and I I hated wearing leg bags. I didn't want to have anything attached to me. Yeah. I and so that was definitely really hard and I think that was it's it's crazy what something like how something like that can affect your mental health too. when you're having to deal with something like UTI and you're entire life has to be put on pause so that you can manage that. Yeah. it's crazy. But luckily I went to I've been to so many different doctors, I've tried a bunch of different medicines and eventually I got to a point where it seemed to settle out about a year and a half ago, two years ago. Nice. since then I might get a UTI every six months. I haven't had one in a while. So I'm I'm just I'm saying all this to say I'm lucky and it's it's been fairly easy for me, especially the last couple of years. that being said, I'll I'll calf usually on my own, every four to six hours on average, depending on how much I'm drinking, how hot it is outside, stuff like that. Yeah. when I'm at the racetrack It's not the easiest when you're in a full fire suit and fire. I bet. I was I was thinking about that. Underwear and you have a helmet on in the car and you yeah, it's definitely not easy. That's something that I think a lot of a lot of the a lot of the plus sides that I can see are from my that come from my mindset are just like Eventually you don't care. And I'm not even that far out of my injury. I can't imagine what I'm gonna be like in ten years. It's probably gonna be God. I know that when I get the sensation that I need to go to the bathroom, I don't have more than three to five minutes max before I'm gonna start having an accident. Right. So it's like I w what do the people around me want to deal with? That or me telling them to like shoo away for a second so I can cath in in the race car. Like I I just I've kinda learned not to care what people think about it. And I'm gonna I'm gonna do it when I need to do it and I mean, I'm not gonna go exposing myself in front of people but Thanks. Yeah. I'm at least going to do do what I need to do. So in the race car I'm usually I'll try to cath before I go out every session. and sometimes in the middle of summer there's nothing you can do and like you're overheating. You you have a spinal cord injury, you can't sweat, so you're chugging water. Right. Trying to keep yourself cool in any way you can. You're over hydrating. And I by the time I get I so I'll cath and then I'll like start getting ready. By the time I even get on get in the car I'm already like again. Like it can be brutal, especially in the middle of summer. Usually if it's not hot out, I'll be okay. Yeah. I can get myself through the session. But there have been times where I'm driving, I'm in a race, and I've just been like, Well, I'm being Yeah. And it is what it is. Like there's not much I'm gonna do about it. My blood pressure will spike a little bit if I start going to the bathroom like without cat thing. Yeah. It'll just be kinda like tingles and blood pressure spike in my face feeling like sweaty and stuff like that. but usually at least from my experience, I've never gotten to a point where it's caused me to pass out or anything like that. So it's good. We try to stay away from that autonomic dysreflexia, right? Yeah. I don't know if you've had any gotta deal with that, but It's not fun. Yeah. Yeah. I try to stay away as much as possible. Yeah. But yeah, it's kind of just you do what you gotta do at the end of the day and people understand. Exactly. Thanks for opening up on about that and it's good for anyone listening to to just that's part of just what this ally program's trying to do and like podcasts is just like normalizing it. It's like listen, this is just how we go to the bathroom, big deal. but it's in really it's it's you know, it might seem like it when we first get hurt, but you really get used to it, like for sure, like probably like not even a year you know, a year in. but it's always interesting, you know, to get to pick people's brain on like how they manage it and what they're doing when when I feel like people are like really busy like you and ha have something where you're like locked in a car and you have all that those clothing on. So I know you try to go as much as you can and avoid any of those like situations and and and and do it in the most healthy way possible. But sounds like you're doing real good. especially the past year or two. you know, with less UTI. So I'm happy for you about that because it does affect your quality of life, right? I mean, if you're having a UTI all the time, it's it's like you can't stay out of the hospital or you're not feeling good and you're on antibiotics and then you gotta it's not fun and it gets in the way of your life. So you know, any way that you can avoid those UTIs, we try no you said you went to a doctors a million times, probably try different medications I encourage anyone who's listening, like if you are having UTI issues to to also just, you know, look into it and feel free to reach out to anyone here at New Motion Medical Soul Supply because sometimes, you know, we can send some different samples of catheters, close system catheters like I think one that like that you have with the speedy caps and everything, you know, that's good. They they are pointed specifically to reduce like infections and stuff like that. So everything that we can do, any little help that we can get. And you just gotta find what works for you. So I've I've learned to stay away from certain drinks if I'm really trying to keep away from from one and stuff like that. You just gotta kinda work it out, figure it out. So but any anything that that you know y we can do to help with the Ally program, there's a lot of different research that goes into this stuff and there's a lot of cool articles and videos that that touch on this. So if you're having an issue with with UTIs or you have any questions about cathing or anything like that Please feel free to to reach out, whatever the case is and and just get on with your life so you don't have to think about it so much. And that's where Lance is at. Lance has it's not really something that he thinks too much about now, and he's killing it, and he's racing and and he's he's beating everyone. So no. I'm I'm I'm I'm excited to continue to watch your journey, man. It's it's been and I'm sorry I didn't want to take up too much of your time today. I pr I appreciate you joining the podcast. Super fun. I hope this wasn't This didn't feel like a work interview that you've had from five to ten PM to and talking to p you know guys in China and stuff like that. Not at all. Yeah, absolutely. Thank you so much. please give Lance a follow and and s and see his journey. I know I I definitely enjoy it. And win please you know, join the Ally program if you're not part of it already. And if you have any questions Or you're interested in in to find out more about new motion medical supply, feel free to reach out to me through text, email, really really anyway. I'm I'm pretty I'm pretty open. So all my contact info is available. But thanks again, Lance, and I I'm rooting for ya. Yeah, thank you so much.