It's awful isn't it? For exactly tens years this month now, whenever I look down at my feet, this is what I see. It's painful. It's ugly. It changed my life forever.
I was born with clubfoot which, is a deformity of the bones in my right foot. When I was ten years old, I had my first surgery to begin "correcting" my deformed foot. I will never forget because it was during Christmas break. I remember a man in a uniform bringing me a stuffed frog I think it was, into my hospital room after my surgery. I later learned, it was a Marine from the Toys for Tots program. I had a second surgery, I think, later that summer. Not much changed from those surgeries except a straightened out toe. My foot was still quite contorted.
After a series of sprained and broken ankle injuries, I decided enough was enough. I was going to finally have a nice, functioning, painless foot!
I "interviewed" many different orthopedist and podiatrist. I finally found the "right" doctor to help me with the intense foot and ankle pain I had been experiencing for years.
Me and Mike met with the doctor several times. He had done this surgery countless times before! We saw pictures of children he helped with the same problem, or even more severe than my foot, in third world countries. He was very knowledgeable, thorough, and kind. We prayed diligently as did many others with us and felt this was the Lord's will. Funny thing about the Lord's will. Sometimes, it's not what we think it is.
On Monday, June 22nd of 2009, we arrived at the hospital before dawn so that I can be prepped for surgery. I was at peace, just a little nervous. It was major surgery after all! I vaguely remember being wheeled away. I vividly remember waking up hours later, (I was told eight hours), feeling like a mack truck hit me and in terrible pain. It was so intense, I was on a morphine drip with a pump. Barely touched the pain I was in. It was awful!
The other thing I remember was the concerned look on Mike's face because there were complications during my surgery and the doctor cut himself while inserting one of the many pins into my foot and leg to hold the corrected bones. When I saw the halo contraption on my foot and leg, I cried. It was nothing what I thought it would look like. It was shocking.
After the initial shock, my doctor came in and explained what had happened during surgery and took a look at my foot. I will never forget the look on his face. There was no time to take me back to surgery...he had to remove the pins in my toes because my toes were turning purple!!! Right there, in my hospital bed he pulled out three pins. I was devestated. I was pressing the button like a mad person on my morphine pump! This was just the beginning of my six month nightmare.
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