My Little Hero

I have inherited many things from my mother. I possess her love of writing, her eternal optimism, and her straight and prematurely greying hair. I've been told that I have her wit and her voice. It has become painfully clear that I have also inherited one unfortunate trait: her weak back.

A few days ago I was in the car, running errands and tying up loose ends. While bending down to pick my cell phone charger off the floor, my back when into a spasm. I let out an instinctive, blood curdling yelp, the shock of which almost forced Scott into the oncoming lane of traffic.

It took me nearly twenty minutes to get out of the car and into the house and struggled all night trying to find a comfortable position. Ice, heat, pillows, and muscle relaxers were all utilized in my attempt to combat the debilitating back pain. Finally I drifted off to sleep around three, probably because of the muscle relaxers because I most certainly never found a comfortable position!

I woke up exhausted, grumpy (an unfortunate side effect of the muscle relaxers) and struggling to move. I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at my prosthetic. I felt as if my leg were taunting me. There was no way I was going to be able to bend to don my liner. I felt defeated, yet I knew that staying in bed all day was not going to be an option. Being an amputee and not being physically able to put on your own prosthesis is a humbling experience!

Thankfully my pint sized hero came skipping into the bedroom. Without missing a beat he grabbed my liner and said, "Don't worry lovely lady Momom. I'm here to help you. I can put your leg because I know how to do it." He grabbed my liner, put it inside out and placed it onto the edge of my leg. He then carefully rolled the liner onto my limb, careful around the "ouchy" spots and deliberately pushing out all the air bubbles.

He was so proud of himself when the liner was on and I was able to step into my leg. "See Momom, I will always be here to help you when you need it. I'll take care of you and be super careful to not step on any cracks today because I don't want your back to break more." I was so proud of my little helper; he didn't miss a beat when I needed him.

While Robby was at school I rested on the heating pad. All of a sudden I felt a click and heard a loud crack. My back, although sore, was suddenly healed. I am going to work on strengthening my core muscles to try to minimize bad back episodes. However, I am resting a little more comfortably knowing that Robby is up to the task should I need his prosthetic assistance again!