Five days from now will mark six months since the right side of my pelvis was badly shattered in a car accident. It has been a long and painful six months of challenges to be overcome. Following the week of traction and surgery to piece the pelvis back together with steel pins and screws, I boarded a plane a flew home to Florida.
I was told that it would take at least a year to fully heal from the injuries. The first 12 weeks following surgery I wasn't allowed to put any weight at all on the affected leg and was forced to use crutches if I wanted to get around. I was on heavy doses of powerful narcotics for pain and anti-coagulants to prevent the life threatening blood clots common with hip related surgeries.
After the required twelve weeks needed for the bones to knit back together enough to bear some weight I was permitted to begin trying to walk again. At first I was only able to take a few painful steps using a cane. But I worked at it. Hard.
I progressed from those first few steps to being able to walk about two blocks reasonably well with the cane. I then began trying to ride my bicycle as I was told this was an excellent way to work the affected hip and strengthen it. At first I could only ride a couple of painful blocks. Two days ago I rode twenty miles.
Thanks to determined stubbornness and an unwillingness to give in to the pain and challenges, I am now preparing to begin my first day of work in six months. While I can never return to driving big rigs over the road, I can once again do some productive and income earning work.
While it has been a long and painful six months and hasn't been easy, I feel that I have met the challenges, borne the pain, and refused to give up. I will continue to do so. One can achieve anything if willing to meet the challenges instead of surrendering to them, forge ahead instead of finding excuses to stop, and always remained focused on the goal instead of the obstructions.