The Joy of Legs

I find myself moving my legs a lot these days. It is part paranoia, of course, to see if they're still working. But it also just for the sheer joy of movement. I like to wiggle my toes and pump my ankles. I like to bend my knees and squeeze my thighs together. I like to stretch my calves and flex my toes. These are things that may seem ridiculously basic to a healthy person, but I just can't imagine losing the ability to do these things AGAIN and maybe forever this time.

I have struggled so much for the past two or three years with my mobility (first the terrible, undiagnosable leg pain, followed the shattered femur, then the first round of spinal tumors and the six months of temporary paralysis, then the "your femur bone and hip are gone" news that necessitated my last surgery in April). When I was finally able to swim again this summer, I was struck by the beauty of the effortless motion of my own body, especially in water. The feeling of moving -- FREELY -- was absolutely amazing. For as long as I live, I will treasure the memory of those brief, happy evenings at the pool this summer.

BTW, the neurosurgeon who did my previous spinal surgery says that this one is too complex for him (if it's possible at all). So -- we are off to Vanderbilt again, to see the head of the neurosurgery department there on Wednesday, August 1st, at 8 a.m.

Sigh ...

Sharon