Penny The Puzzle Piece

Chapter 18

When I think back now, I realize that I had no idea how significant this trip to Toronto for surgery would be in my life. Obviously, the surgery was important, but this experience shifted my entire life in a way that no one could have foreseen – other than God, of course!

Susan, Dr. Gross’s social worker, had sent me a copy of an article detailing the surgery Dr. Gross would perform on me that had been published in an orthopedic medical journal a few years before. I studied this article intensely, going over every detail multiple times. The plan was to cut the head off my femur, use that bone to carve out an acetabular shelf, attach that to my pelvic girdle with screws and a metal plate, line it, then replace the femoral head with a metal one. This would give me a ‘proper’ working hip joint. Basically, I was a puzzle that simply needed to be reorganized.

I was to be admitted to Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto the day before the surgery so that all the pre-surgery blood work could be done.

Mom and Dad arrived at the house the morning we were to fly to Toronto. Dad had arranged to leave his truck at the house rather than leave it at the airport. Originally, he had planned to leave a set of keys at the house in case Rob needed to move the truck, but on travel day, he was so stressed out that he forgot to bring an extra set of keys.

I never realized before this day that my dad suffered from anxiety. I don’t know if I just never paid attention or if I was dismissive of it before, but it was glaringly obvious this day. He couldn’t remember things or organize his thoughts properly, and he was short-tempered. Despite the immense stress I was under, I had to set that all aside and be the adult in the room who kept everyone calm and on track.