Today was a down day. Not in the normal sense, but in another sense that I'll get to in a minute.
The scale was even for the second week in a row. With my ankle problems continuing, I shut down running early last week pending a doctors appointment that I had scheduled for this morning. Ultimately, I look at even this week as pretty good news.
This morning, the orthopedist looked at my ankle, asked me to take off my other shoe and walk across the room. He then commented "Your feet are awful." Well, that's not news. (Just ask Deb.) He took some x-ray's and then said what I had feared -- don't run for "at least a couple of months." He was concerned that I would rupture a tendon. He also prescribed custom orthotics for my shoes. He recommended cycling, spinning or elliptical work -- non-impact activities.
This really knocked me for a loop, but it wasn't totally unexpected. I certainly knew that this might be the outcome. I spent my ride to work thinking "woe is me." Annapolis is certainly out. Philly too.
I got to the office and logged on to the computer. There was a note from a coworker, Tim, in Cleveland. His admin assistant Mary had passed away. I had known Mary for 12 or 14 years. She was a wonderful lady. Always positive, always cheery. When Tim was out sick for a few months two years ago, Mary kept me posted constantly. She was one of those people that I always looked forward to seeing when traveling or calling that office.
About eight months ago, Mary saw the doctor for back pain. Turns out she had a very aggressive form of cancer. Amazingly, she was responding well to chemo and things had looked good. A month ago, as she was preparing to come home from the hospital, she developed a virus. The doctors suspended chemo to treat the virus. Two weeks later, the cancer had engulfed her body and there was nothing more that could be done. Mary was 60.
I called Tim this morning and there was Mary's voice on the answering system, cheery as always. I hope they leave it that way, just a small tribute to Mary's memory for those of us who were honored to have known her.
Suddenly, my ankle feels a lot better.
May Mary rest in peace.
L'Chaim!
5 comments:
I am so sorry for your loss. How sad. I'll keep her family (and you) in my thoughts.
So sorry to hear about your friend, that is rough. I hope they keep her on the answering machine too, at least for a while - what a tribute.
And sorry to hear about your ankle. Perhaps it is an opportunity to fine tune your cross training - swim, bike, maybe water running? Who knows, maybe a triathlete in the making?
Jenny
Funny how life has a way of giving you perspective. Sorry to hear about Mary.
As far as your ankle goes... this is just another test for you Jeff... push through it. There are hundreds of things you can do to keep yourself active that will not put additional strain on your ankle. The insane distances you can cover in a few hours of cycling are incredibly rewarding. Plus it is a whole new world of gadgets for you to explore :-)
I smell a bike addiction coming on. You won't believe the cool bikes and stuff you can get. Plus you get an awesome workout on the bike. Sorry to hear of your friend. You will get through this and come out even stronger.
sorry to hear about mary. Life is always better with the mary's of the world in it. I'm sure she will be missed.
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