stories

"Well, hello there!" she beamed, "What are YOU doing back here?" I'm back at The Fortress, the rehab center where I spent the first six weeks or so of the fight to save Elmo. To be honest, I didn't expect to see this place again, but at the moment it's a welcome respite. And I gotta admit, it's a bit [...]

Oh....the footbone's connected to the anklebone The anklebone's connected to the shinbone The shinbone's connected to the Elmobone Now hear the word on The Void... After months of zoning out at the Deadbeat Cafe, The Leg has finally decided to go back to work. IOW, it's started to grow bone to fill in the walnut-sized void in my lower (distal) femur. [...]

Awake to my sister practicing the last movement of Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor: Moonlight Sonata at sunrise. I smile and nod as Mom asks me if I've slept well, scent fresh-ground Sulawesi in the little one-cup coffeemaker Carol and Emelia gave me an age ago, and wonder: If I grab these moments really REALLY tight, plaster them against my heart [...]

I saw Marcus* out of the corner of my eye, stopped at the crossroads, obviously waiting for us. Kaitlyn and I were headed over to the cafeteria for lunch.** It's a bit of a long haul for me, since there's a steep incline on both ends of long, meandering sidewalk. I haven't been able to do it yet without needing a friendly [...]

If you're wondering what's up with The Leg: We're hanging in there. LOTS of other stuff has happened that'll show up here as I get time to write, but mostly? We're hanging in there. On Friday night, Sept. 16, 2016, I fractured my left femur just above Elmo, my replacement knee. I lived in a wheelchair, facing hip-high amputation of [...]

Happy crashiversary, Elmo! Two months ago, the bottom of my left femur seceded from my leg. If I've learned anything from this, it's that patience really is a virtue. Trouble is, I'm not that virtuous. "I saw this and it's exactly YOU!" a coworker once beamed, handing me a refrigerator magnet. It said, "I want it all, I want it now, [...]

"You need to paint a rock this morning," decided Selene, one of my favorite daynurses* at The Fortress. "And I will paint this rock because...?" I asked reasonably. "Because only two patients showed up for recreational therapy this morning, and Amber needs your support," she said firmly. She wheeled me on down to the art therapy room, I painted a [...]

You knew there had to be a meltdown, right? Mine came Wednesday morning and by all accounts was a great success. Go big, or go home, ya know? On Friday night, Sept. 16, 2016, I fractured my left femur just above Elmo, my replacement knee. I lived in a wheelchair, facing hip-high amputation of my left leg, for about two [...]