An accident on Sept. 15, 2001, set Cameron Clapp’s life on a different course than he had planned.
The San Luis Obispo, Calif., man, then 15, was struck by a freight train after a night of underage drinking with his identical twin brother, Jesse.
“I grew up next to railroad tracks. I never thought it would happen,” he said by phone Wednesday during an interview with the Daily News. “I did not hear it coming.”
Clapp lost both legs and his right arm in the accident.
“They cut off my legs to above the knees and my right arm to above the elbow. I have a little bit of my shoulder. I call it my nub,” he said. “I can move my legs and arm around.”
Doctors told Clapp he wouldn’t walk again, but five months after the accident he was walking independently with prosthetic legs.
“Today I move around very well. I’m a high-functioning amputee. I use two prosthetic legs to walk. They’re C-Legs – that stands for ‘computer legs,’ with microprocessors in them,” he said. “I can trust them to be there for me for every step. I use them to drive my car, too.”
He also travels to do athletic events.
“I’m really independent. I do everything I want to do,” he said. “I also have running legs and swimming legs. I compete in athletic events and triathlons.”
Clapp plans to run The Medical Center 10K Classic on Saturday. He will also be at the 10K Classic starting line at the W.R. McNeill Elementary School parking lot at 6:30 a.m. and post-race at Houchens-Smith Stadium from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
The 10K Classic has several events. The 5K will start at 7:30 a.m., followed by the 1.5-mile Fun Walk at 7:50 a.m., the 10K Wheelchair Race at 8:25 a.m., the 10K Classic at 8:30 a.m. and the Children’s Classic at 10:15 a.m. For a list of entry fees or the route, visit www.themedicalcenter10kclassic.com.
Online registration closes at midnight tonight, but people can register at the Southern Foods Pasta Party and The Medical Center Health and Fitness Expo, which will be from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday at the Sloan Convention Center, or from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. Saturday before the race.
“We have close to 1,500 signed up so far for all three events combined,” said Andrea Norris, community wellness manager at The Medical Center’s Health and Wellness Center and a coordinator of the event. “We usually have close to 1,800 to 1,900 participants total. We will have 100 sign up at the expo.”
The 10K Classic has been a tradition in the community, Norris said.
“It not only supports The Medical Center, but also Western (Kentucky University) and all the sponsors who want to be a part of it. It’s not just the runners taking part,” she said. “It’s a good atmosphere for the community. It encourages a healthy lifestyle and support.”
Clapp said he and his brother, who died of a drug overdose in January 2008, were extremely active before the accident.
“We always excelled in sports. We were the fastest kids in school,” he remembered. “We grew up next to the beach surfing.”
He does many athletic events annually. His next event after the 10K Classic will be the 18th annual Aspen Medical Products San Diego Triathlon Challenge on Oct. 23.
“I train really hard and get excited about them,” he said. “I really love these events I’m involved in every year.”
This is his first time running the 10K Classic. In fact, Clapp has never run a 10K.
“I’m more of a sprinter. I did a 5K in Indiana about four years ago. I’m gonna try to do the entire 10K. I haven’t had a lot of time to train for it. I’m excited. I know I can do it if I’m really prepared to do it,” he said. “I think if I complete the 10K, I will be the first triple amputee in the whole world to complete a 10K. There are other people doing athletic events, but there is nobody with my level of amputation.”
The 10K won’t be Clapp’s only activity in Warren County. A motivational and youth speaker, he’s also scheduled to speak at South Warren High School this weekend.
“It’s my passion in life right now. I almost died. It had negative consequences,” he said. “I love speaking to young people. I admire them. They’re our future generation.”
Clapp also visits other patients, amputees and people in the medical field to show them that recovery is possible.
“I didn’t know if I could do it. Over time, I worked hard at it,” he said. “It was a struggle. I never thought I’d be able to run a 10K.”
Clapp said he couldn’t have recovered without a good support system, which includes Hanger Prosthetics & Orthotics, which has more than 670 locations nationwide, including Bowling Green, and provides his prosthetic care. He will be at the Hanger Prosthetics booth during the Health Expo.
“Hanger Prosthetics have helped me live my life to the fullest. I’m very grateful for what they’ve done for me,” he said. “You can show the world you can do anything. ‘Impossible’ is an opinion, not a fact.”
— For more information about The Medical Center 10K Classic, visit www.themedicalcenter10kclassic.com. For more information about Cameron Clapp, visit www.cameronclapp.com.
