In this modern busy world we often think that people don’t give a stuff about anyone any more. The media is always telling stories of neglect and how people aren’t being looked after.
As I continue my journey through rehabilitation from injury what has surprised me is the kindness shown to me often by complete strangers.
I’ve previously written about trying to put yourself in a situation where you simply can’t walk, or at least very far.
Also look at the situation of getting through doorways is a problem. I’ve had elderly pensioners old doors open for me. I’ve had young woman do the same. I appreciate the help and gracefully acknowledge it.  Tonight the household wanted Indian Takeaway and due to the weather I wanted to spice things up a bit. Now there is only one restaurant that I know of that delivers and their quality is rather poor. My preferred restaurant does take-away but parking can be an issue and their front step is quite high. They know be by name at the restaurant and accommodate me well. Tonight the manager offered me a drink, initially asking if I drank beer, he then offered an alternative. I ended up having to politely say “thank you for the offer, but I have no way of carrying it” One of the waitresses said  something along the lines of “I could take it out to your car for you” this floored me, totally out of nowhere.  It might seem a little silly, but when you have to where and when you go to a certain place and limit what you buy because of your ability to carry things, to have someone offer this is just amazing.
The motivation behind this post is from a couple of experiences throughout the week that have been of significance to me.
Last week it was time to sort out an ankle brace and my Physio Liz had quite a job to carry three braces into the treatment room with my file and open the door.
I’ve doubted my Physio on many occasions as I have been  frustrated by my progress. For me the ankle brace is a significant move forward. It means a return to health and fitness and mobility. I’ll never forget the look of excitement and the enthusiasm Liz has as she brought the braces into the treatment room. It was symbolic of her care and commitment into treating me. I was really excited to start the ankle brace fitting process, yet Liz seemed somewhat even more excited than I was. I didn’t think that was possible!
There were two styles we were trying and the cheaper one didn’t seem to fit very well. Despite trying two sizes Liz decided we needed a third size which would have to be ordered in from the supplier. It was midafternoon the Friday of a long weekend; I didn’t think there would be anyway the third sized brace could be delivered in time for my Saturday morning appointment.
To my absolute surprise it was, Liz herself had driven to the supplier to pick up the brace for me. I think she had just a little insight into how much it meant to me. I’ve written previously about the brace, so won’t go into detail. Just enough to say that is really is amazing and doing its job well.
The next person I wanted to write about is my primary personal trainer. People seem to like having a PT to hold them accountable. I don’t think that is a problem or requirement for me as I have a strong commitment to what I’m doing. More of a priority for me is a tailored and varied work out. Sean has done a stellar job in working with my schedule to make time but also put a lot of thought into modifying my program so that I’m able to complete as much as I can.  Until you stuff up a major weight bearing part of your body, you don’t realize just how much you can’t do. Sean has made it so that apart from moving around from machines, I’m seated for the entire work out.
I can’t stand and use the cross trainer, but what I can use, seated on a bench in the grinder. I love to hate this machine. It’s great to get the upper body working and the heath rate up. It’s a bit like boxing seated on a bench it reminds you of what is possible.
The other person is Georgia, who is my second PT. I’ve only trained with her once, but she has recently had surgery on an ACL and has some idea of what I’m going through. She’s been a great support both in person but also via SMS. The one training session I did nearly killed me. I was out to impressed, but also prove myself to myself. I spoke with Georgia about a week after the session and she said that she knew she pushed me hard but it was to remind myself what I could do. I had forgotten that and it was great to be reminded. One thing I found interesting is she takes much more detailed/ technical approach to training. I’m constantly being reminded about how I need to improve my technique. Which initially I found annoying but I understand why she did it. It’s particularly important for me at this moment as I recover from a couple of injuries if I do the exercise correctly it can work a different muscle group than if I were to do it incorrectly.
The last person I really should credit is Jodie my Podiatrist. I turned to her when I couldn’t get a clear answer out of my original surgeon and in near despair I sought her advice. I should really right more about Jodie, but right now it’s the early hours of the morning and this blog post is nearly 1000 words and I really should get some sleep.
I’ll end here, but in summary it never does cease to amaze me the impact people can have in a positive way. It’s really nice to see that in many cases basic human kindness and  from my health care team a real care, compassion and dedication.
Despite what I’ve been through and continue to endure, I consider myself to be very lucky and fortunate.
