Good news, Bad news

I just saw my surgeon again today, and he gave me good news and bad news. Good news first. I don't have to wear my back brace anymore and I can start doing swim workouts and core training exercises. I've been waiting two months for this news, so I was very glad.

Now the bad news. The doctor doesn't like the shape of my spine, and it's possible that they will have to do another surgery to correct this. That would involve drilling more screws into my vertebrae and adding longer titanium rods to create more stability. That is seriously bad news.

Still, I was not completely shocked today, as my doctor was upset about my Nicaraguan surgery from the very first day that I arrived in Memphis. He told me then that he would need to redo my spinal fusion, and I was kind of surprised that he left it alone until now. Still, I was hoping that two major surgeries would be enough.

But nothing is certain yet. If my spine stays in exactly the same shape that it is right now, he'll leave it alone. But if it starts to collapse further, I'm looking at a world of hurt. So if you like praying, please ask God on my behalf. He obviously likes to help me out, since I'm walking now, but more struggles lie ahead.

In the meantime, there's lots of rehab that I can do. The doctor says that I should swim up to an hour every day. I'm also going to do lots of Theraband exercises, footwork drills, and stationary bike riding.

I'm not especially bitter right now, because even though I didn't get the news that I wanted today, at least it's a problem that modern medicine can fix. Being a paraplegic, on the other hand, is not a fixable problem. And no matter what happens with my spine, there is no more danger to my leg. It will continue to heal over the next two years, and the doctor says that I'll eventually be able to resume most sports activities.

I'm also grateful for the surgery I had in Nicaragua, because even though it wasn't perfect, it probably saved my ability to walk. And walking is a wonderful thing.

I'm grateful too that I've lived life to the fullest for the past twelve years of my life. I did two years of serious backcountry skiing and mountain biking in Austria. I've hiked the Grand Canyon, Mt. Whitney, Mt. Shasta, and Haleakala Crater. I've biked more than 20,000 miles in California, and more than 200 in a single day. I've been a Rice cheerleader and had the best partner in the whole world. I've inline skated with urban animals and worn spandex more times than I can count. I've played varsity baseball and hit a home run. I've bench-pressed 250 pounds. I went rock climbing at Enchanted Rock on the night that the moon was the closest it has been to earth in 800 years. I have lived more in the past decade than most people in a whole lifetime. There is no accident, no sickness, and no person that can take that away from me.

Our bodies are capable of tremendous things, and yet they are tremendously fragile, too. I encourage you to use your body well and enjoy its many abilities. It comes with a short lease and an unknown expiration date. Once your health gets taken away, you don't want to be left with regrets about what you should have done and could have done. Don't wait to start living.