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- Mar 4, 2003
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Today is a pretty special day for me (it is also International Women's Day as my wife reminds me).
Roughly 3 months ago on December 9th, I broke my fibula playing Ice Hockey. I had to have surgery where they put in a plate and 9 screws. 2 of the screws go all the way through my fibula and bolt it to my tibia.
But today the doctor told me I can start walking again. Its been nearly 3 months since I have been able to simply carry a drink to my spot at the table without help from my wife. What a great feeling it was to do that for myself at lunch today.
The whole experience, which will include another 8 weeks of therapy, has given me a chance to reflect on some of the athletes that get placed on IR. I remember what AP said about recovering from injuries having to do with mental strength. It takes a lot of mental strength, and some days I just didnt feel too motivated.
One thing that happens to your leg when you stay off it for so long is that it atrophies. My right leg is literally twice as thick as my left leg, maybe even thicker. This hasnt done much good for my psyche. It just amazes me even more that NFL athletes can recover from these surgeries and return to the game in such short time.
I am hopeful for Greg Romeus that he too may be able to recover from his injuries as well, not just physically, but also mentally. It must be extra hard on him mentally because their is still a dream he wants to complete by playing in a NFL game. I hope he can achieve that this year.
About a month back the doctor had retorted to my whimsical question about trying on my new skates, "if you break your leg, the next surgery will be amputation." That kind of resonated with me. Last night I spent some time contemplating the possibility having to give up hockey permanently. Would I even risk injury on a low percentage chance just to play again? For this old man it was great news when the doctor said I should be able to play Hockey again next year (now if only my wife will let me play again).
I definitely empathize with all the athletes that go through this like Greg Romeus, Barret Jones, and several others. Even more so I can appreciate the risk for athletes like Jarvis Jones and Star Lotulelei. This year I will be rooting extra hard for the comeback players.
Roughly 3 months ago on December 9th, I broke my fibula playing Ice Hockey. I had to have surgery where they put in a plate and 9 screws. 2 of the screws go all the way through my fibula and bolt it to my tibia.
But today the doctor told me I can start walking again. Its been nearly 3 months since I have been able to simply carry a drink to my spot at the table without help from my wife. What a great feeling it was to do that for myself at lunch today.
The whole experience, which will include another 8 weeks of therapy, has given me a chance to reflect on some of the athletes that get placed on IR. I remember what AP said about recovering from injuries having to do with mental strength. It takes a lot of mental strength, and some days I just didnt feel too motivated.
One thing that happens to your leg when you stay off it for so long is that it atrophies. My right leg is literally twice as thick as my left leg, maybe even thicker. This hasnt done much good for my psyche. It just amazes me even more that NFL athletes can recover from these surgeries and return to the game in such short time.
I am hopeful for Greg Romeus that he too may be able to recover from his injuries as well, not just physically, but also mentally. It must be extra hard on him mentally because their is still a dream he wants to complete by playing in a NFL game. I hope he can achieve that this year.
About a month back the doctor had retorted to my whimsical question about trying on my new skates, "if you break your leg, the next surgery will be amputation." That kind of resonated with me. Last night I spent some time contemplating the possibility having to give up hockey permanently. Would I even risk injury on a low percentage chance just to play again? For this old man it was great news when the doctor said I should be able to play Hockey again next year (now if only my wife will let me play again).
I definitely empathize with all the athletes that go through this like Greg Romeus, Barret Jones, and several others. Even more so I can appreciate the risk for athletes like Jarvis Jones and Star Lotulelei. This year I will be rooting extra hard for the comeback players.