A Hero Amongst Us.....Angela Madsen

For a while now I have wanted to write about people that I feel have effected the world in which we live but have failed to grab the attention of the mass media.  So every now & then I will be posting under the title "A Hero Amongst Us".  You folks have never been shy about emailing me your thoughts, both good & bad, so if you know of someone that might fit this mold please let me know RCRNewsBlog@gmail.com

At times even Boy About Town gets a tad tired of all this Hollywood fluff.  I mean how many times can you write about some untalented "starlet" getting out of a car sans panties. As many of you know my last blog "Boy's Buzz" was dedicated to just this type of  "news story".  And it made me well known & paid my bills, thank you Lindsay Lohan, Britney, and all ya Kardashian blood suckers. But during that time in my life, through my travels, both cyber & real world, I met some people that truly wowed me. People that, I believe, not only changed their world but changed the world we live in.  I would like you all to meet one such person, Angela Madsen. 
While on duty with the Armed Services of the United States Miss Madsen injured her back.  While the injury was not life threatening it was not a pleasant experience.  So in 1993 our little United Sates vet went in for surgery which while major, still had Angela heading straight home with a clear goal to be back on her beloved surf board within a year.  As you will soon learn Angela is VERY goal orientated.  But the doctors at the VA hospital made a "mistake" while performing this life changing operation on her back. Even I know that a "mistake" in the region of all that important stuff back there is never good.  And what do ya know, Boy About Town was right, please take note, it does happen. Angela was "informed" upon awaking  that she was now a paraplegic & would be requiring a wheelchair. That's it! No preamble, just BAM!   Now let's recap shall we folks?  Serve your country...yippee, hurt your back....ouch, become paraplegic.... WHAT!!
I have never been called lazy & I too have been handed a few curve balls in life but waking up paralyzed....Check Please!
And as many of you know that when something like this happens it seems to open the flood gates.  Your world begins to unravel...quickly!  Angela lost her job.  I mean your employee calls in one day saying "I can't come in today, I can't walk anymore need to deal with that real quick."  So no more income.  And funny thing, no one wanted to hire a middle aged, newly wheelchair bound, woman.  So she lost her house, there by becoming homeless. Speaking from experience I know how dehumanizing that can be. At this point,  many people would have thrown in the towel. But remember I said Angela was goal oriented, so she made some goals. 
At some point she began to look at all this as a gift.  In the coming years Angela seemed to think God was a major factor in what she did with her situation. That sounds good & maybe true too but I have met Mr. & Mrs Madsen.  And I truly believe this Florida couple need their own reality show.  He is a World War II vet that takes no gruff from anyone & she is a lovely lady that always has a quick comeback for every occasion. These two are the type you want to sit next to at a dinner party so you can rip the other guest to pieces together! But they expect you to work hard.  And that i just what Angela did!

As close as this crazy lady is getting Boy to a boat!

Now when I first heard about Angela her girlfriend, oh did I not mention that?  See how the adjectives are adding up? Anyway Deb contacted me and asked me to write about her lovely girlfriend that was a paraplegic, a vet & at the current moment rowing across the Atlantic Ocean in a tiny boat with no sail & no motor!  HOLD THE PHONE!  This woman, who by now is a Grandmother, is in a fibreglass boat of about 30 feet ROWING across the ocean without the use of her legs. One more detail, added Deb. The guy rowing with her is a French amputee with only 1 leg that does not speak any English.  And she speaks no French!  She had my attention.  Angela & her one legged buddy were getting next to NO press coverage!  It was not a sexy story.  Most vets did not like the whole Gay thing. Gay press was looking for a muscle bound sex god in a jockstrap to put on their covers. And mainstream press didn't know what to do with her.  I did a piece in which Boy's Buzz asked why this American Role Model was being over looked.  I was shocked by sheer volume of responses I received. The internet reached out to Angela & her story.  And she reached out to me.  One day shortly after printing the story I answered the phone only to hear Angela announce herself along with her ships present longitude & latitude.  Since that call and after spending 66 days on that boat Angela & Deb have always been in my life.  This amazing team is always doing something or going somewhere.  Angela has started an organization that helps differently abled people learn not only to row but to regain some of their self reliance. She speaks at both schools to kids that need to hear her message of over coming life's hurdles as well as larger venues aimed at fighting for human rights. Gone on to compete in the Paralympics.  Oh, and by the way, after her record setting row across the Atlantic Ocean Madsen has gone on to become one of nine women in the world who has rowed TWO different oceans AND become the only person to have rowed THREE ocean crossings AND row her hot little self around Great Britain.  
 Now Angela's story, like many of our stories, has many twists.  But unlike most, Angela does not allow  the adjectives used to describe her to define her. She looked at what she was handed and said it was simply not good enough. She then went about building a world which not only works for her but in which she excels in!  In her spare time....whatever that means to her....Angela has managed to pen a book "Rowing Against The Wind" which is now available for pre-order on Amazon! So, we have, as a community, over looked this strong, gifted, lady.  But let me say this.....My friend Angela Madsen is truly is a Hero Amongst Us!
Stay Fabulous!
Boy About Town