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Brinker’s Doug Brooks Isn’t Asking Much This Saturday. . . Just an Arm or a Leg

Let’s play “The Five Minute Game.” What, you don’t have five minutes right now? That’s okay. You can play it whenever and wherever you want. It requires only you.

Now, here are the rules.

You may pick the limb of your choice. No, not a tree limb. An arm or a leg. Once you’ve decided which limb it is, go five minutes without use of that limb. Some of you are saying, “Hey, that’s a snap. What kind of game is this?” Others are grumbling, “This doesn’t sound like fun.” Excuses, excuses, excuses. Go ahead and try functioning without that limb for just five minutes. If you pick a leg, you’re going to have a great time just trying to get up from your computer. If you picked an arm, you’re swearing at your keyboard by now. If you really want a challenge, try taking a shower or putting on clothes.

Photo provided by Brinker International

Once your five-minute “game” is up, think about Brinker International’s Chairman of the Board/President/CEO Doug Brooks (pictured). Back on July 22, 1998, while training in Plano for the New York Marathon, he was struck by a car and had to have his left leg amputated above the knee. Yes, he had excellent medical care and through technology he has a extremely high-tech prosthetic leg. But even with all of this, it’s not the same ease, agility and convenience of having the original leg.

Instead of grousing about his loss, he took on another type of marathon — the Limbs for Life Foundation.

For the past nine years, he and his wife Holly along with their limbed and limbless pals like Toni and the late Norman Brinker, Peter Cancro, Pat and Pete Schenkel, and Craig Gavras have nurtured LFL to provide fully-functional prosthetic care for individuals who cannot otherwise afford it and raise awareness of the challenges facing amputees.

Approximately 380 children and adults in the area have benefited from LFL. Why, did you know that the nationwide average for a below-knee prosthesis is $7,000 and an above-the-knee prosthesis is $16,500? Thanks to the foundation, LFL can purchase a below-the-knee prosthesis for $1,500 and an above-the-knee prosthesis for $2,000.

Photo provided by Brinker International

This Saturday LFL will hold “The Roaring 20′s” at the Dallas Trade Center including live and silent auctions, a four-course meal, cocktails, and a casino reminiscent of the real Roaring 20′s underground. Guests are encouraged to “shake a leg.” Hey, just because you lose a limb, doesn’t mean you lose your sense of humor. As Doug (pictured right with Craig Gavras and Holly) told ChainLeader, “We’re not asking for much, just an arm and a leg.”

Past honorary event chairs and other notable attendees have included Honorary Underwriting Chairs Toni and Norm, Marianne and Roger Staubach, Matrice and former Dallas Mayor/present U.S. Trade Rep Ron Kirk, Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children President JC Montgomery Jr., and Iron Chef America contestant/Abacus and Jasper’s headman Kent Rathbun.

Benefit partners include Andrews Distributing Company of North Texas, Anheuser-Busch, Ben E. Keith Beers, Coca-Cola North America Food Service, ColorMark, Devin Lindsey Photography, Glass Lake Production Group, Glazer’s Distributors, Jo Tiller Interiors, Ten Eighty Media and nFusion.

Tickets are still available by calling Julie Smith at 972.770.9504.