Near the Beach

Mile Markers 3 and 4:

After my abdominal surgery in November, the surgeon told my parents, “Well, she’s gonna hate me come bathing suit season!” He was referring to the long, vertical incision and the metal retention sutures that covered my middle. At that time, they were all just relieved I was going to BE HERE for bathing suit season. Back in November, we couldn't conceive of the salt air, warm sand, or bright sunshine. We couldn't imagine anything outside the fluorescent lights of the hospital.

But now….Ahhh, the exhaustion that follows a day at the beach. I can feel it in every bone in my body, and even in some that aren't!

Yesterday's walk found me in Ocean City with my best beach buddies – Rocco, Susan, and Beth (“Bosco”). We paced the Boardwalk, as close to the beach as my prosthesis would allow. 

Think of it this way: Laptops don’t belong on the beach; neither do microprocessor knees.

So after soaking up the hot, sunny boards without the luxury of an ocean dip, we summed up the day with this list:

Top Ten Reasons to Take My New Leg on the Ocean City Boardwalk

10. It’s not as dangerous (or as WET) as skim boarding with Rocco!

9. I'm powered by Mack and Manco Pizza. That is, until the “food coma” kicks in!

8. My pedicure looks snazzy in sandals.

7. Kids think I’m the newest Transformer.

6. I’ve got a stumble-recovery mode for downhill ramps….Good thing because there are a lot of them on the Boards!

5. There’s a charging station at 8^th and the Boardwalk. Really!

Thanks Verizon!

4. I glitter in the sun, even without sunscreen. Think Edward from Twilight.

3. Easy clean-up from ice cream drippings.   It turns out I CAN walk and eat George's Ice Cream at the same time, but not neatly!

2. My leg doesn’t tense up on the Ferris wheel – unlike the rest of my body.

And the Number One reason for taking my new leg for a walk on the Ocean City Boardwalk ….(drum roll please) …. SHE’S A C-LEG!!! (Hee hee…get it??)

Mile Marker 5:

Good friends, good food, good miles. No bathing suit necessary. As we reached the car, my energy flagged. Exhaustion kicked in.

Someday, we’ll be ON the beach – but that’ll require a specially-designed leg and another learning curve.

For now, I covered 5 miles in two days – the MOST I’ve ever walked in my prosthesis. Bring on the next 995. Just don’t get my leg sandy!

Mileage so far: 5.10

Go!

Mile Marker 0:

Where else to start but at the Art Museum? For 15 years, it’s been my starting line for skates and bike rides -- the place where everybody knows my name.

Today, it just felt right. My companions did, too. I started with my brother Mark and his trusty dog Jack. We were soon joined by my friend and skate-buddy, Jeff.

Mile Marker 1:

Kelly Drive. On my skates and bike, I had already logged more miles here than I could count. It was here that I learned to skate in a “draft line,” zigzagging between the runners and then pumping hard to climb the hill at the Falls Bridge. It was here that I rambled through the Water Works with a group of third grade camp kids. Here, I walked the AIDS Walk year after year. But today on Kelly Drive, I moved at a new pace, minding each of my steps, aware that my old life was blending with my new.

During the long winter months, my friend Jeff had stopped at the hospital often – bringing seasonal cheer in the form of gingerbread lattes! And Mark was by my side every day. In the early mornings, he

showed up with Dunkin Donuts tea and hash browns. (Just add bacon and you've got the breakfast of champions!) By night, he dozed on my window ledge on a pile of unused pillows. The hospital security guards and nurses knew him by name. “Rebecca, your brother’s coming up!” they echoed through the darkened hallways at midnight.

And then there was Jack, poor pup, who had spent those long winter days closed up in Mark’s apartment.

Mile Marker 2:

But today we were all together, WALKING IN THE SUNSHINE, among the runners and skaters and bikers. In 90 minutes, we walked 2 miles -- farther than I ever thought I'd go today!

I remembered a time 8 months ago when I could have skated or biked almost two loops (16 miles) in that amount of time. But our long, leisurely stroll along the river today felt good and hopeful. Even if I did need a nap afterward!

What I realized is that every journey starts in the middle, including this one. There's a point where the old meets the new. The baggage in the trunk of your car doesn't keep you from driving forward. It just reminds you of who you are.

As skaters and bikers whizzed by me today, I saw that Mark, Jeff, and Jack were moving at my speed. We weren't breaking any records, but we were moving forward – joining my old life with my new.

Thanks to Mark and Jeff (and Jack too!) for making this a first walk to remember!

And for giving me something else to reach for...maybe in 2013 :)

Final mileage today: 2.59

Ready, Set...

7/7/11. I figure it’s a good day to start a journey. I’ve become a bit of a believer in omens, charms, wishes, and good, healthy luck. When things spin out of control, don't you?

If you ask me how I’m doing, I’ll tell you, “So far, so good.” Good luck can turn on a dime. On December 31, my rehab doc – Dr. L -- called to ask how I was doing. I’d been home from the hospital for 2 whole days. “Great!” I replied enthusiastically. "Things are going great!" I was lounging on the couch with a good book. “Great!” That’s all it took. What ensued was a three-month struggle with what felt like a 30 car pile-up in my intestinal tract. Now when someone asks, I say, “So far, so good.” No scientific evidence of any connection, but still….

And to clean up that mess on the Schuylkill (a.k.a. my intestines), one of my all-time favorite surgeons – Dr. J –had to convince me to go against my bad luck bias. Yes, this was to be surgery number 13! And despite the pain, nausea, vomiting, and NG tube down my throat, I informed him that the number 13 didn’t seem to be the best stat to take with me into the Operating Room. It was 6:45 a.m., but Dr. J didn’t miss a beat. He replied with full confidence and a huge smile, “Thirteen?! That’s my lucky number!”

Whether it truly was or not, I may never know, but now it’s definitely one of mine!

So, today, on 7/7/11, I invite you to join me for my journey of a thousand miles. Walk with me through the funny, interesting, sometimes scary, and always unexpected twists and turns that any journey takes.

Along the way, please leave your COMMENTS – questions, opinions, thoughts, stories, jokes, messages…similar or different experiences…suggestions or advice. And let me know if you have any great ideas for places or opportunities where I can put on those miles!

And, finally, want to join me??