Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Happy Birthday, Rick Allen

Happy birthday today to Rick Allen. Born on November 1st, 1963, the drummer for the English rock band Def Leppard is truly an inspiration to everyone the world over.

Despite a tragic car accident when he was just 21 years old, Allen overcame the complete amputation of his left arm and continued to be one of the best drummers in rock 'n roll history. He and his wife Lauren even co-founded the Raven Drum Foundation, a charity with a mission to serve, educate and empower veterans and people in crisis.

My son was born with a right brachial-plexus injury which basically was nerve damage to his right hand and the lower half of his right arm. Though he has had some nerve and muscle graft surgeries when he was a toddler, his usage of his right arm is much less precise than most of us. We've often used Rick Allen as an example for our son, to show him how someone can overcome a situation like this to pursue the career they love.

Here are a couple links to Def Leppard albums I have previously reviewed on the blog:

For Pyromania from 1983, click here

For Hysteria from 1987, click here

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