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So I’m 8 days into my pull-up challenge and i thought I’d share a story
This story explains why ANY pull-ups are a win for me
Why just ONE pull-up is an incredible accomplishment
THE ONE PULL-UP CHALLENGE
THREAD
This story explains why ANY pull-ups are a win for me
Why just ONE pull-up is an incredible accomplishment
THE ONE PULL-UP CHALLENGE
THREAD
So it was December 2012 and my wife and I were getting set to head to a New Year’s Eve get together
It was our first school year in a new town and my head coach invited us over for a party
We made banana pudding, put it into a fancy serving dish, and walked out the door
It was our first school year in a new town and my head coach invited us over for a party
We made banana pudding, put it into a fancy serving dish, and walked out the door
It was raining that night but not too hard. Just a light little drizzle
My wife, who was 6 months pregnant, walked out first. She made her way across the sloped deck onto the driveway
I followed, banana pudding in hand and locked the door behind me
My wife, who was 6 months pregnant, walked out first. She made her way across the sloped deck onto the driveway
I followed, banana pudding in hand and locked the door behind me
I headed toward the driveway when something happened that would change our lives forever
I slipped!!
It was just like a cartoon
Feet went one way! Body went the other!
All heading straight to the ground
CRASH!!!!! Went the banana pudding dish!
I slipped!!
It was just like a cartoon
Feet went one way! Body went the other!
All heading straight to the ground
CRASH!!!!! Went the banana pudding dish!
And SLICE!!!!! Went my hand
The shattered glass severed two tendons and an artery in my left hand
So I’m sitting there in the rain, clutching my hand, blood everywhere
My ring finger and pinky lay wide open, as lifeless and limp as two hot dogs being held at the tips
The shattered glass severed two tendons and an artery in my left hand
So I’m sitting there in the rain, clutching my hand, blood everywhere
My ring finger and pinky lay wide open, as lifeless and limp as two hot dogs being held at the tips
My wife comes running to my aid, we call 9-1-1 and we get a $3000 cab ride to the hospital
At the ER they cauterize the artery and close the wound
The stitches run from just beneath my middle finger to around the back of my hand
At the ER they cauterize the artery and close the wound
The stitches run from just beneath my middle finger to around the back of my hand
That night was rough but that was the easy part
A week later I had surgery to reattach the tendons
Then started the therapy
3 days a week of heat and cold and poking and prodding
The entire time worried about whether or not I’d be able to hold my unborn son properly
A week later I had surgery to reattach the tendons
Then started the therapy
3 days a week of heat and cold and poking and prodding
The entire time worried about whether or not I’d be able to hold my unborn son properly
Wondering if I’d ever be able to play catch with him
Well the good thing is I made some progress
After 6 months of therapy (and another surgery) I was starting to move my fingers
All was looking up and then one day I’m pulling on some play dough with my pinky and....
POP!!!
Well the good thing is I made some progress
After 6 months of therapy (and another surgery) I was starting to move my fingers
All was looking up and then one day I’m pulling on some play dough with my pinky and....
POP!!!
Tendon ruptures
And there it is again
That lifeless hot dog dangling from the end of my hand
My therapist and I make eye contact
And we both start to cry
We knew immediately that all the progress we’d made over those 6 months was lost
And there it is again
That lifeless hot dog dangling from the end of my hand
My therapist and I make eye contact
And we both start to cry
We knew immediately that all the progress we’d made over those 6 months was lost
A week later I have one more surgery to clear out all the scar tissue
The doctors plan is to clear some space and stick in a silicone rod so he can come back in 6-8 more months and reattach the tendon again
My plan is different
The doctors plan is to clear some space and stick in a silicone rod so he can come back in 6-8 more months and reattach the tendon again
My plan is different
My plan is to give up on surgery
To continue the rest of my life without the use of my left pinky
To figure out a way to relearn to do all the things I used to do when my hand worked properly
And that’s what I did
To continue the rest of my life without the use of my left pinky
To figure out a way to relearn to do all the things I used to do when my hand worked properly
And that’s what I did
The first time I picked up a weight it fell right out of my hand
The first time I grabbed a pull-up bar, I fell off in less than a second
I could barely hold a spoon. Now I’m gonna try pull-ups?!?!
Who am I kidding?
The first time I grabbed a pull-up bar, I fell off in less than a second
I could barely hold a spoon. Now I’m gonna try pull-ups?!?!
Who am I kidding?
Well as you can tell I worked on my grip strength and eventually got to the point where I could finally hold a dumbbell
My hand still doesn’t open or close all the way
In fact, I couldn’t keep skittles in my hand if my life depended on it
My hand still doesn’t open or close all the way
In fact, I couldn’t keep skittles in my hand if my life depended on it
But through hard work & with the goal of playing catch with my son one day
I was able to finally get that pull-up
As far as I’m concerned, every extra one is just gravy
Thank you for sticking with me & if you liked my story, I’d appreciate a retweet to help get the story out
I was able to finally get that pull-up
As far as I’m concerned, every extra one is just gravy
Thank you for sticking with me & if you liked my story, I’d appreciate a retweet to help get the story out
