Feeling Lucky

I appreciate Christine Scott sharing her story over the past five weeks of growing up with her mentally disabled sister and the challenges they faced as a family. It’s been insightful and very helpful for me while Mark has been recovering from his second total hip replacement.

We’ve been at the rehab center for the past seven weeks and we’re looking forward to returning home on Saturday. This second battle of recovery has been easier and harder. Easier because we knew what to expect and Mark was in better physical condition to start with.  Harder because we knew what lay ahead of us and right from the start we were still tired from the first surgery.

We were tempted to wait awhile until our vivid memory of the surgery and rehab had dimmed. We moved forward with the original plan because we were anxious to get it behind us and we didn’t want the therapists who worked with Mark on the first recovery to forget what they’d learned about him the first go around. We saw more pros than cons in doing it sooner rather than later, which meant there were six months in between the left and right hip surgeries.

It was a good decision. We’re glad to have it behind us and fortunate to have the same therapists. Their previous experience working with Mark and knowing his physical limitations and capabilities have proven to be beneficial. We’re leaving the rehab center after 52 days rather than the 60 days it took with the first rehabilitation.

Mark in therapy

Physical Therapist, Brandi

We’re happy with his progress and the new range and mobility he now has with both hips done. Last August, I wrote an article, A Man with True Grit, which is my favorite way to describe Mark. He reconfirms his grit daily as he works hard through painful therapy. Since I’ve watched and encouraged Mark through rehabilitation for nearly twenty-five years, the pain is both heartbreaking and tiresome. It’s easy to wonder why it has to be so hard.

Sam & Mark with their crazy hair hats

One of the benefits of being in a care facility is that we are surrounded by people with similar struggles. Most of the patients here are overcoming a knee, hip or shoulder replacement. A few have a more serious struggle like cancer or a stroke. As I get to know each patient, my heart goes out to them and I rejoice in their progress conquering their individual health challenges. We’re encircled by people with true grit and a few of them are still here from our first stay and feel like family now.

Mark wasn’t the perfect candidate for total hip replacements and we were told it would be a tough recovery for him. He had several tests to determine whether it was even a possibility. Every test revealed a new problem such as severe degenerative disc disease, osteoporosis and scoliosis of the spine. The results were discouraging and overwhelming. The bone density test revealed he was a high risk for a break.

The orthopedic surgeon gave Mark only a 50% chance of the surgery being successful. Mark replied, “I’ve beaten lesser odds,” and wanted to go through with the surgeries despite the risks. Mark’s continuing optimism and determination for betterment is one of the reasons why I love and support him so much. He’s taught me you don’t have to be a cowboy to be a man with true grit.

If you’re old enough, you may remember one of my favorite John Wayne movies made in the 1969, True Grit. The fearless, U.S. Marshal, Rooster Cogburn, was hired by a determined young girl, Mattie Ross, to find the man who murdered her father and fled with the family savings. Rooster was cantankerous and drank too much, but his shooting ability was flawless. He was known as a man with true grit.

The scene that runs through my head as Mark valiantly works in therapy is the one where Rooster rides his horse into an open area and faces alone the gang of four outlaws he’s been tracking down for days.

One of the outlaws shouts, “What’s your intention Rooster? Do you think one against four is a dog-fall?”

Rooster hollers back with sincere determination.“I mean to kill you in one minute or see you hang in Fort Smith at Judge Barker’s convenience. Which one will it be?”

The gang unwilling to surrender to this one-eyed, pot-bellied marshal moves forward on horseback.

Rooster puts the horse’s bridle reins in his mouth, drawing his rifle in one hand and his shotgun in the other as he charges towards the four men, shooting with both guns.

Despite the unlikely odds and with one heart-stopping mishap, he does take all four gangsters down.

This comparison may seem a bit uncouth and a little irreverent, but it’s what goes through my mind as I watch Mark courageously combat rehab. He boldly confronts each challenge with every ability he has. He fearlessly fights for improvement and gives little thought to it taking him down. He may ride on top of a different kind of saddle, but he is indeed a man with true grit. However, I must add he’s much better looking than Rooster Cogburn and his language, manners and conduct are much nicer too.

Right now I’m surrounded not by cowboys, but warriors with true grit and I’m particularly fond of the one I’m married to. Just like Rooster, Mark has come out the winner thanks to his surgeon, Dr. Rasmussen and his staff, along with the great therapists at Rocky Mountain Care Center. The fight isn’t over yet, but the end of this ride is near and that’s why I’m feeling lucky. A bright rainbow is in sight!