New Normals

How I fell into a new resiliency

On November 26, 2022, the Saturday after Thanksgiving, I fell down a flight of stairs to the basement at my nephew’s house (which happens to be the house I grew up in) in Virginia. I was three steps from the top of the stairs when my right leg gave out—it felt like the muscles in my leg didn’t “fire” when I stepped up. I grabbed for the banister with my left hand, which has lost strength significantly over the past few years. My left hand didn’t hold. I went tumbling head over heals down the steps. I truly thought this was the end.

Turns out, I cracked my sternum and had two softball-sized hematomas on my head. However, I didn’t lose consciousness and didn’t have a concussion, surprisingly. I spent three days under observation in the hospital and then went back to my nephew’s house to recuperate.

It’s been five weeks since the tumble. I still have some pain in my chest, but it is manageable. In that time, I have reconfigured my house so that my bedroom is on the first floor. I’ve traded in my Honda FIT for a Honda CRV, which is easier for me to get in and out of. I’m having a walk in shower installed in my first floor bathroom. I’ve had lots of help from my daughter, Kieki, who didn’t leave my side for a full four weeks. I am so grateful to her for her help.

The myopathy I was diagnosed with in 2018 is catching up to me. I’m exercising and doing occupational and physical therapy, but I often feel like I’m taking one step forward and two steps backward.

The lesson is that, as we get older, we need to adjust to our rapidly changing bodies and minds. I don’t mind change; I never have. However, nowadays, all these changes press home the idea that I am mortal.

I’m looking forward, though. Today and tomorrow, I’m working on my goals for the year. Then it will be time to get strong again and get busy again. There is much to do!