Do you remember . . .

Do you remember this old commercial? This is your brain, showing an egg . . .

Well, this is my knee . . .

This is what my knee feels like in bed . . . 

One GIANT melon, so I'm not sleeping well . . .

The Good. The Bad. The Ugly.

That was the title of the e-mail I sent to my supervisors at Sand Creek today.  

The Ugly, without a doubt, is my knee.  I saw the surgeon this morning and he was well pleased with it, to the point of predicting this scar was going to be thinner and prettier than my other knee!  But in my eyes, it's still rather ugly.  

The Good is I am able to return to work on Saturday.  The Even Better Good is that I was able to bend my knee to 110º today - ON MY OWN!!!  I checked.  The right knee hit that magic marker five days later than this left knee.  I'm happy.  It's still not flat, but those PT's have all sorts of nasty ways to make it flat.  They call it "therapy".

The Bad is I can only return to work under certain restrictions until I see the surgeon again on August 26:

• I can't climb on ladders (no Platform 4 or High Ropes dismounts at Sand Creek - big smile!);
• I can't carry anything heavy (which I really don't do anyway!);
• I have to wear a wrap - to keep the dirt out!  Or I could do a BIG bandaide if I'd rather;
• I have to have my cane available in case I get tired and use the Bobcat when exhausted.   

Looks like I'll be back at Sand Creek on Saturday!

Sekouba

It was just an ordinary morning when Sekouba first noticed a little button-sized growth in his mouth. He showed his mother who told him not to worry about it, that it would probably go away.

He tried to forget about the rapidly growing lump it but that didn’t make it go away. In just 12 months it was as big as a tennis ball, filling Sekouba’s cheek, significantly impacting young Sekouba’s life.

People taunted him and the tumour drew endless stares. ‘What’s that in your mouth?’ they asked, and curiosity soon turned into scornful laughter.

As Sebouba was mercilessly teased, school became unbearable so he stayed at home..  His friends refused to play and even his brothers were ashamed to be seen with him. Every day Sekouba was painfully aware that he was the only boy his age in the village NOT going to school—and everyday school was the only place he wanted to be.



Hoping to find medical care, Sekouba’s distraught family took him to the largest hospital in their region, but no one who could help. But their cries for a cure were miraculously answered when they heard that the hospital ship was coming to Guinea, West Africa.

On the day he came to Mercy Ships, 12-year-old Sekouba held a faded photograph with frayed edges. It showed was a younger, smiling boy with an unblemished face.

‘This used to be me,’ Sekouba sadly explained.

When the Mercy Ships medical screening team accessed him for surgery,  the future changed; Sekouba was handed an appointment card for a free operation onboard the Africa Mercy to remove the benign tumour that had turned his life upside down.

 ‘EVERY TIME I PRAY I THANK GOD FOR THIS SHIP’

When Sekouba’s mum saw his restored face she was overwhelmed with joy.
‘Every time I pray, I thank God for this ship,’ she declared. ‘I don’t know what we would have done without it.'

This is just one example of how you can help change the life of a little boy who was facing a very bleak future.

Sekouba was only onboard the ship for month for his surgery and recovery — but in that time, you helped change his life forever. With his tumour gone and his face healed, Sekouba’s future is looking very bright indeed.

Thankful Thursday.

Today I am thankful that I was home when a friend needed a hug after a miserable appointment.  Sometimes you just have to wonder, "Where do these idiots come from?"  If I ever said what she said he said, I wouldn't be working where I'm working!

PT Report

At PT yesterday, Laura and I both agreed that less than forty-eight hours between appointments was rather stupid.  We also thought that early morning appointments on stiff knees were useless.  My bend was 97º compared to 98º on Monday.  And I couldn't get my leg to lay flat.  Frustrated?  Disappointed?  Yup! 

Crazy Daisies, Round Two.

As we finished grocery shopping at Cub today, I asked Micah to go over to the flower department and pick up some crazy daisies.  Rosemary had wanted me to have them, and since they are my favorite flower, we were going to get them!

While I was checking out with Erna, I told her the story of how Rosie and Sheryl had come to visit on Tuesday and by the time they arrived (an hour drive!), I received dead daisies as a get well gift.  By the time she had finished laughing, Micah arrived with the flowers.  Erna said, "No charge.  They're on us today." 

I have to say, Rosemary, Sheryl and I all loved the end of the story, as well as Sam, Matt and Micah.  Thank you, Erna (and Cub!).

To Laugh or Cry . . .

Tuesday morning, my dear friends, Rosemary and Sheryl, drove down from the northern suburbs to have lunch with me.  They both came caring chocolate (remember - I said they were my friends!).  In addition, Rosemary had purchased some crazy daisies just for me.  Micah grabbed the purple vase. I opened the package and . . . 

Every stem I pulled out wasn't just wilted, but dead and decaying.  I wasn't sure what to do.  Rosemary was shocked!  She had picked them up the evening before at Cub, put them in water overnight and handed me totally dead daisies.

We determined, "Toss them!" and went out and had a lovely lunch, one that spanned over thirty years of friendship!