Erinn's Life (Or Lack Thereof)

Monday, March 9, 2009

A Toast to Boner

Boner, (Center) at Mock Rock

I'm sure many people will look twice at the title of this post. But, that was how Mike Goudward was known to all of the folks at Camp Midicha. I'm still not sure why... someone said something about a t-shirt with a bone on it... but, I dunno. Doesn't matter. He was "Boner" to the Midicha friends who loved him.
Saturday we had to say goodbye to him. It was an all too familiar scene. Gerad has been gone a year and a half, and now Boner, too. Both taken from us because of diabetes. The same diabetes that I, and most all of my Midicha friends also have the thrill of dealing with 24/7.
So there we were...about 30 of us from Midicha, gathered to mourn the passing of a great friend. Everyone said he had a smile that lit up the room, that he could make anyone laugh, that he befriended everyone, no matter what. And they were right.
My memories of Boner started in my early teens. He was a counselor, and boy did we campers worship those counselors. He was always stuck to the hip with Nate. Nate and Boner. The names were never separated. I can remember them doing Mock Rock every year together. They led songs in the Dining Hall together. They always had so much fun and were always smiling.
I'm mad that he was taken so young. I'm mad that the cure that they have been speaking of in "the next five years" has still gone on...and it's been 25 years. I'm mad that more people don't give organs. What the heck will you need them for once your dead? Don't people know how many lives can be saved or greatly improved? I'm just mad.
And sad. I'm sad. Losing someone as great as Mike is a loss. I think of his son. His family. His friends. How much we will all miss him.
Erinn

Nate and Boner

Me and Boner

Saturday, February 28, 2009

Physical Therapy

I've been reading Monica and Kevin's blog... about the adventures of Monica having to go to PT. I'm so happy for her that she's done... but mine is only just beginning.
I have completed two weeks, and they are estimating that I need 8-12. Why? Basically I suck. My entire body just sucks. Muscles are weak. I'm as flexible as a board.
When I had my evaluation, I could see the look on the PT's face... "what a pathetic human specimen we have here..." He kept asking me to resist against his force... and BAM... my leg would smash into the exam table. "A little weak, eh?" he would say. Who knew that two pained knees would result in total body humiliation. So yeah... my knees have been giving me grief for some years now. This year the right one got worse. I had convinced myself it was arthritis, from all the years of hard court tennis... but...uh, no. I suck. I'm weak. I'm inflexible. Basically the muscles that are supposed to hold my knee cap in alignment are weak. And the muscles that support those muscles are weak... and the muscles...well, you get the point. So my knee caps are not in alignment. They are off track. And I'm spending 3 dayss a week at PT. And doing "homework" every other day (torture involving therapy bands, hip hikes, stretching...) and basically having zero free time. And the worst part? My knees still fucking hurt. It apparently will take awhile for the muscles that support the muscles that support the muscles to get stronger so that my knee caps will eventually track correctly.
What a mess.