‘BRING IT ON’
Stamford man, who had both legs amputated after subway accident, tackles obstacle-filled 5K race
STAMFORD — About four years ago, Roman “Rome” Leykin lost both of his legs above the knee in a subway accident.
And this weekend, the Stamford resident will participate in two races.
First up Saturday was the Gaylord Gauntlet at Gaylord Specialty Healthcare’s campus in Wallingford, where Leykin faced two dozen obstacles along a course slightly longer than a 5K.
“Bring it on. I can’t wait,” Leykin said in an interview earlier in the week, adding that he was looking forward to the challenge. The 36-year-old trained for the event — a fundraiser for the Gaylord Sports Association — by hitting the gym with a trainer and planning out how he would approach the obstacles.
Then, instead of taking Sunday to relax, he planned to go to New York City for Achilles International’s 4-mile Hope & Possibility race in Central Park.
“I can’t stop,” Leykin said.
In February 2018, Leykin was working in Manhattan as a web developer and living in Brooklyn. Leykin, who had been diagnosed with epilepsy as a teenager, was on his way to work one morning when he had a seizure. It was the first time he’d had one in years.
He fell onto the subway tracks and a train ran over him.
Leykin said he was unconscious during the accident, which also left him with a traumatic brain injury. He remembers entering the subway station and later waking up at a hospital.
He said he spent about a year in inpatient rehabilitation at Burke Rehabilitation Hospital in White Plains, N.Y. He used a wheelchair until 2021 then dedicated himself to walking handsfree with “stubbies” — short prostheses.
“I jumped off my wheelchair and I took a couple steps and I fell immediately,” Leykin said, recalling the first time he tried the devices. “I got right back up. And I fell. And I got right back up. And I fell. And within 15 minutes or 20 minutes, I was walking and not holding on to a single thing. Yes, I was shorter, but the freedom of movement gave me freedom of life.”
Over the past year, he has been working on walking with longer “tech legs.” He said he still uses a wheelchair at times, including when playing basketball, pickleball and softball.
Leykin has posted videos of his walking progress to TikTok, where he has nearly 200,000 followers. He said he hopes the videos are helpful to others by showing that “practice
makes progress” — instead of perfect.
His videos also show him working out at the gym, hiking, golfing, bowling, rock climbing, horseback riding, playing hockey, skiing, hand cycling and sailing as a BAKA — bilateral above knee amputee. He uses adaptive equipment like a monoski to hit the slopes and a sled to ice skate. Some videos are from camps with fellow BAKAs.
Leykin said he worked out “a little bit” before the accident. He loved basketball and sometimes went running. Now, sports are a much bigger part of his life.
The friendships and teamwork are the best parts for him, he said.
“I’m a very competitive person. I love sweating. So doing anything that makes you sweat, I feel great no matter what the activity is,” he said. “But it’s the one-on-one connections that are made, the little helpful tips and hints that they give you.”
Katie Joly, the Gaylord Sports Association’s program manager, met Leykin after he signed up for the group’s ski program.
“I was actually on one of the outings he went on, and the minute I met him, I was like, ‘Wow, we’re gonna have a lot of fun together,’” Joly said. “He just has the best, positive outlook and mindset, and he’s a go-getter.”
The Sports Association organizes adaptive sports programs and events for individuals who have a physical disability or visual impairment.
“A lot of times for people it’s getting that confidence back to be who they are again because … a lot of folks that we work with, they have had a spinal cord injury, a stroke, a traumatic brain injury, limb loss, like Rome, and they’re learning how to live their life differently,” Joly said.
Leykin said he is no longer able to work as a web developer because of his brain injury. In the future, he hopes to become a motivational speaker and instructor.
“Right now, I’m going to as many amputee events as I can all over the country and pretty soon all over the world,” Leykin said.
He said his mantra is: “Relentless forward positive momentum.”
“I’m not gonna get in your way, but don’t dare get in mine because … you might get rolled over, you might get walked over, you might get run over,” he said.