Clean Sweep

Last week I received a telephone call from a producer at the National Geographic Television channel. They are currently working on a documentary for their Explorer series and learned about me because of a blog reader. The show is going to explore the phantom pain phenomena, specifically how the brain responds when these sensations are perceived.

I spoke with the producer for about 45 minutes about my experiences since becoming an amputee, my adjustment to the limb loss and my philosophy about living with a disability. We discussed the phantom and nerve sensations that I occasionally feel, and how I cope with the pain. At the conclusion of our conversation I was asked if I would be willing to be interviewed on camera for the documentary.

Of course I agreed to the interview. If this show can bring awareness about the issue and perhaps spark research interest and funding, I am happy to lend my time and relay my experiences. The camera crew is scheduled to come to my house on Wednesday.

At first I was thrilled with the prospect of being filmed for the National Geographic Channel. As I was relaying the discussion to my Mom on the phone, I began to survey my living room. Wow! I quickly realized that in a few short days a camera crew was going to be in my house and that I had a lot of work ahead of me.

Robby's toys had somehow spread to every corner of my house. Marbles were under the couch, dinosaurs had taken residence in my kitchen, plastic bugs were parading down the hallway and my living room floor had been transformed into a parking lot for small cars and trucks. Ironically, the toy boxes were nearly empty.

Robby apparently inherited his organizational skills from his Daddy. Scott's toys were also strewn around the house. Extraneous computer cords and components were littering the kitchen counters, the mantle in the living room and the coffee table. I am still wondering what an optical computer mouse and two flash drives were doing in the bathroom!

I spent the weekend scrubbing floors and walls, washing windows, and organizing.. Robby's toys have been sorted and put away. Much to his chagrin, a small mountain of toys that he outgrew was systematically moved downstairs to be sold on Craigslist. Some of Scott's "treasures" were put into boxes to be sold while others were placed on his computer chair in "the man cave."

Scott's interest in cleaning quickly waned with the kick-off of the first football game. He realized he was safer staying quiet and tucked away in the bedroom or he would find a rag and a bottle of cleanser in his hands. Robby, being a great little helper, spent nearly an hour washing the same window in the living room. He used an entire bottle of Windex, but the window (or at least the half of the window that he could reach) is clean.

After working for countless hours, the house is clean. Okay, the entire house isn't clean, but the areas that might be on film are spotless. I am hoping to make enough money selling all of the toys and extraneous items I collected during my marathon housework to pay a cleaning service to finish the rest.