Inspired

Inspired

 

It is funny, I can remember the emergency room and ICU very vividly, moment by moment but the time in the rebab center is different. I remember some specific times, but mostly just big moments. It was work time and that is how I remember it, WORK.

 The next day physical therapy came first. I was hoping we could go to the pool again, but Michelle said no, I needed to rest and we would try it again in a few days. I don’t know if you have figured this out yet, but I absolutely loved Michelle as a therapist. She was a no-nonsense, hard-ass in a way I greatly respected. When I got there, she had me stretch and do knee bends using my walker for support. Then she had me walk with my walker twenty feet or so and rest until my oxygen levels were back in the nineties. She said, “Ok, I’ll be right behind you; I want you to stand up and when you feel ready, I want you to walk five steps.” I was surprised but, what the hell, let’s do it! I took a deep breath, focused on my feet and stood up and started counting my steps; there were lots of people in there that day, but I was so focused all I could see was what was directly in front of me and the only sound I could hear was my own breathing. I didn’t hear Michelle yelling at me, “Stop, stop that is enough.” All I knew was, I was WALKING! When I got to the far wall and could not go any further, I stopped. Michelle was running to catch up with me, and my son Zach came running with the wheelchair and told me to sit down. Michelle said, “Damn man, you need to learn how to count, I said five.” It was great but it was extremely exhausting, both physically and mentally. I had to think about everything I was doing, stay balanced, which foot to pick up, which hand to move, every little thing that we normally take for granted and, my oxygen level took a big dump as well. After she had bawled me out a little, she looked me in the eyes had said in an incredibly cheerful voice, “YOU WALKED!” I was happy but I was just trying not to pass out. Zach grabbed me from behind and gave me a hug. When My oxygen came back up, Michelle turned me around and said, “Ok, let’s try this again and this time ten steps, and I mean ten.” I grinned and said, “Yes ma-am.” I stood up and this time everyone was counting my steps aloud and I went ten steps. After the workout was finished and I was leaving, my first roommate came rolling up in his wheelchair, stopped us and said to me, “Man, I’ve been watching you work out and today. I watched you walk. You are my inspiration, you Inspire me!”  

It took me back a second, I mean how do you respond to that kind of complement. Trying not to cry, I smiled and said, “I think everyone in here is inspiring, but thank you very much.” We shook hands and went back to our rooms. I think back to that place alot, everyone worked so hard it was so impressive. Later that day I had occupational therapy in the workout room. My therapist had me taking off lids of varied sizes and putting them back on; that was easy I liked that one, but then he brought out a big shoe and had me try to re-lace and tie it, I was terrible at that. While I was struggling with that, the young man that had given me the compliment was trying to stand on his own without help. They rolled him up beside me and said, “OK, let’s see how long you can stand, your record is 30 seconds.” They placed a big timer out on the table and said go. He stood up and leaned against the table a little and held himself there. All I could do is watch, he got to thirty and he started to shake, at 40 he was staking extremely hard and his face started to turn purple. As I set there, I watched in aww and cheered quietly, “go for a minute,” he just shook.  40-45,50-55,60,61 62,63 then he collapsed. I have been a coach for around 30 years and have seen some inspiring stuff, but I don’t think anything has touched me like that. It gave me goosebumps. He did more than push past where his body told him to stop, he went past exhaustion; he went to total and pure failure. Not many people are willing or mentally capable of doing that.

His nurse and therapist went to work stabilizing him in his wheelchair and giving him extra oxygen. As he started to wake up my therapist was trying to take me out of the room to give them privacy, I reached out and grabbed his chair and said, “Great job!”  They took me back to my room. I am not sure he heard me. I hoped so, because that was inspiring to me.