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Disability Doesn't Faze Kayak King

Tribune photo by MICHAEL SPOONEYBARGER

Sean Fitzgibbon had his leg amputated at the knee when he was 3, but went on to become a champion kayaker and surfer.

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By STEPHEN THOMPSON

The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 12, 2008

SEMINOLE - Sean Fitzgibbon was born without a fibula in his right leg, and his right foot was deformed, too.

So on his third birthday, the leg was amputated at the knee. But Fitzgibbon, now a 34-year-old husband and father of two, has learned to cope. He also learned that he didn't want his disability to squelch his athleticism. And he became a champion among his peers in surfing and kayaking.

Now Fitzgibbon and three of his cohorts want to impart his message of hope and perseverance to all of those who have lost a limb, including troops returning from Iraq.

To that end, they are embarking on a 220-mile kayak trip today to circle the Florida Keys. Thirteen days have been set aside for the voyage, but Fitzgibbon and his friends hope to do it in eight to 10 days.

In addition to raising awareness, they hope to raise money for Extremity Games, an annual extreme amateur sports competition for people who have a limb loss or disability. This year's contests will be in Michigan from July 24 through 26.

Fitzgibbon loves the Extremity Games concept because it encourages people who feel alone and isolated to come together and show how skillful they've become in their sports. "We want to bring a message to amputees: Love life; don't be a victim of the amputation," the Seminole resident said.

That call especially needs to be heard by veterans returning from Iraq without an arm or a leg, he said.

Fitzgibbon is more than aware that some amputees can't afford the help they need. As a full-time prosthetics technician at St. Petersburg Limb & Brace, he often comes across amputees whose health insurance doesn't cover the full cost of a prosthetic device.

The name of the quartet taking the kayak trip is Team Topahonu. "Topahonu" means "great sea turtle" in Hawaiian. Fitzgibbon earned the nickname there as a surfer because turtles are able to swim after they lose a flipper.

Other team members are Jeff Fabiszewski of Dunedin, whose wife has paralysis of her left side; David Tranor, an Orlando outdoorsman who has helped the disabled with sports such as skiing; and Brian Doehleman, a Largo war veteran whose brother owns Osprey Bay Outdoors, a Clearwater kayaking shop.

Reporter Stephen Thompson can be reached at spthompson@tampatrib.com or (727) 451-2336.

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