As of today…
Since I have written last, I have had not one, but two surgeries. The first surgery was to repair a ruptured plantar plate, torn ligaments in 2 toes and a fracture at the ball of my foot. The plantar plate is actually the cushiony, thick pad that covers the bottom of your foot, and protects the many bones in the foot. Well, I actually split mine in half – not very common and supposedly not easy to do, just my luck. I had the surgery on August 17, 2009 and am still in the process of healing 13 weeks later. My surgeon, Dr. Megan Leahy of the Illinois Bone and Joint Clinic, is absolutely amazing and we immediately hit it off due to our common love for the Chicago Cubs.
I was flat on my back for a full week, on crutches for 4 and then in a walking surgical boot (Cam-Walker) for 4 more weeks after that. I am in my 5th week of wearing shoes, my 2nd weeks of wearing “normal” shoes with my new Ortho inserts, which I love. During the time I was in my Cam-Walker I was putting undo strain on my knee while “learning” to walk again and this caused the Meniscus in my knee to tear. The day I got my Ortho inserts, I told Dr. Leahy that I was having a lot of pain in my knee and she immediately sent me to see Dr. Edward Forman, another IBJC doc, whom I have seen numerous times in the past. He ordered an MRI, which was done that afternoon and I was back in Dr. Forman’s office at the end of the day scheduling Arthroscopic Knee surgery for Monday, November 23rd, 2009 – yesterday. I will be back in his office on Monday the 3oth and will most likely scheduling surgery number 3 to repair the damage to my left knee that was also caused during the extended healing process of my right foot. Oh well – better to get it all fixed now and be healthy and surgery free (hopefully) for years to come.
Not quite back on my feet.
In the early 80′s, Ivan DeJesus was a shortstop with the Chicago Cubs. While with the Cubs, DeJesus hit for the cycle on April 22, 1980, becoming the first Cub to accomplish the feat since 1966. Ivan became a friend of my dad’s during that tenure with the Cubs. During that time, my dad, Wayne Hall, would host parties/dinners for the Cubs players when they were in town and looking for a home cooked meal and a place to chill without photographers or autograph seekers. I was never surprised to head down to our living room and see the likes of Willie Hernandez, Manny Trillo or Hector Cruz hanging out and having a beer with my dad.
