Wounded Warrior Taken For A Ride In Keys

KEY WEST (CBSmiami/FKNB) - For Army medic Rachael Rodgers, a second therapeutic bicycling trip down the Florida Keys Overseas Highway was much more enjoyable after her left leg was amputated below the knee.

Rodgers, 27, is one of 38 wounded military personnel who participated in the 2016 Soldier Ride that ended Sunday in Key West.

She was bitten by a brown recluse spider in December 2013 at Fort Polk in Louisiana. She was treated to try to save her limb. A part of her therapy was to participate in the January 2015 Florida Keys Soldier Ride.

"When I was here the last time, I still had my leg," Rodgers said after interacting with dolphins at Dolphin Research Center in Marathon. "It didn't work very well and I actually had a harder time maneuvering around then, so I did not have much fun."

Despite months of treatment, a decision was made to surgically remove the affected portion of the limb in August 2015 and Rodgers participated in the Keys Soldier Ride for a second consecutive year.

"To be in not as much pain this time around made a huge difference to me," Rodgers said after getting a kiss and a dorsal fin tow from Tursi, a female dolphin at the center. "I was able to enjoy it a lot more."

Rodgers was particularly impressed with the wounded warriors' reaction to the dolphins.

"I saw a lot of people open up," Rodgers said. "Smiles erupt, everybody had a blast."

Rodgers remarked about the dolphins' ability to provide almost custom therapy for participants whose injuries ranged from lost limbs to post-traumatic stress syndrome.

"I think the sensitivity is a big thing because they're (the dolphins) so perceptive of the injuries and people's swimming abilities," she said. "Especially for people with brand new injuries who aren't very comfortable in the water or are hurtin'."

Among activities in the Keys, participants pedaled across the Seven Mile Bridge, the longest span of 43 that help comprise the Overseas Highway. Some riders, missing one or more limbs, used specially adapted bicycles to participate with injured comrades.

The event was organized by the Wounded Warrior Project, which typically supports wounded warriors from conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The Florida Keys News Bureau contributed to this report