“The passion was always there,” he says, before revealing the crash that made him quit riding.“The ambulance attendant said, ‘Someone’s looked after you,’” Jamie recalls.“Horrible symptoms,” Jamie frowns. “Everything was too much.”
Jamie suffered a traumatic brain injury that left him unable to work as a chief naval technician, along with mental health issues that left him struggling to be the husband and father he once was.Eventually, Jamie started accepting his vulnerability and new way of being in the world, with the help of an unexpected gift from his son: a dog named Joe.
“He’s special,” Jamie says, fighting back tears of gratitude. “He’s just been the best addition to our family."After more than three years away from a motorcycle, because he felt too uncomfortable to ride one, Jamie discovered Joe sleeping in his bike’s side-car. “The next morning we got-up and did two laps around the cul-de-sac together,” Jamie smiles. “We haven’t looked back since!”
Jamie and Joe have spent the past two summers embarking on daily drives together, with the dog wearing goggles in the side-car to protect his eyes from the wind.Accompanied by Jamie playing harmonica, the dog performs for the people they pass.It inspires countless strangers to smile and take pictures.“It just elates me,” Jamie smiles at his pup.More than fuelling his positivity, these drive-by performances with his dog are providing Jamie with a renewed sense of purpose.