Tom Morgan’s “Thought Rods”
Angling, Custom Fly Rods, Fly Fishing, Tom Morgan
Wife Gerri Carlos wraps a fly rod, as semi-recumbent Morgan looks on through special glasses
Forbes describes how Tom Morgan has managed to overcome MS to continue to produce state-of-the-art custom fly rods.
In his case, the “thought rod” metaphor takes on another meaning. Considered by many to be the world’s finest living fly-rod-maker–a craft that relies almost solely on feel–the 67-year-old Morgan has not been able to cast, or even hold, one of his creations for more than a decade.
Morgan has multiple sclerosis, a still mystifying degenerative disease that occurs when a mix-up in nerve signal transmissions causes the immune system to attack the insulating sheaths around the nerves. Morgan has a particularly debilitating form of MS and has extremely limited movement below his neck. He is confined to his bed and to a high-tech wheelchair with a headrest, a reclining contraption that resembles a dental examination chair. Morgan’s thought rods are a pure extension of his mind.
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