Life goes on
Today is a Monday and I usually dread this day, or any day for that matter. I wake up and complain about the pain I am in or the pain that will become of a simple day. But then I talked to someone, mainly myself. And I realized all I need to do when I wake up is say “ I am Steve Michaels.”
Some things as most people know I’ve had really rough. There isn’t anything I haven’t been through. I’ve had arthritis since the age of two, I’ve had 9 broken bones, 2 concussions, 1 major surgery, tendonitis, carpel tunnel, torn ligaments, dislocations, and at one point I had to rely on crutches to get around. That was about age 13. I couldn’t walk, I couldn’t put on my own socks, I couldn’t write with a pencil. I was so sick of feeling like crap that I had found the best doc in the state… Or so it was said.
I had a surgery on Friday, April the 13th of 2001. The surgery was to fix my contractions in my hips and knees. It was planned for me to have mild bandages and stitches and walk out of the hospital 2 days later better then ever. Not the case. I woke up drugged up with morphine and all I saw was a blurry wall of plaster. There were 2 full leg casts bent at 120 degrees. That’s not the sick part though… what was worse is that one-day after the surgery my doc came in and said to flip over on your stomach. Ok… imagine for a sec, your knees being bent all the way to your but for the very FIRST time in your life with fresh incisions all around your legs from where they operated on. So like a pancake the doc flipped me over and all I could do was scream bloody murder for 30 min till they put me back on my back where I laid down on my back feeling the stitches freshly ripped. I had to do that every 20 min and gradually increase 15 min every time.
After about 2 months I got the casts removed, yay right?! No. When they cut them off I could wait to straighten my legs. But as soon as they both were off my legs wouldn’t move. I couldn’t straighten them and I definitely couldn’t lift them. It’s called atrophy, where you lose all your strength in you mussels because they weren’t being used. This is what the doc said after he found out what happened. Go to PA and see this doc. So I did, and you want to know what amazing and inspirational advice I got? “Well we could break both of his legs and bend them back words and fuse them like that… yeah that’ll work” my mom said “ Are you crazy?” I said “what else can you think of?” “Well we could just fuse the knees and put you in a cool electric wheelchair. Wouldn’t that be nice Stephen.” We just said thanks and then left.
I began to think… of who I wanted to be and what I really wanted to do with my life. Then as I was thinking I was practicing on my drum pad. No joke. And that was the beginning. So for the first day of my high school year I got to start it in a wheelchair with an “aid” pushing me around. The VERY first day I went into band class and wow did I feel awkward. Mr. Rusnak welcomed me but everyone else just stared and wondered what I was doing. In a circle was Nick, Dan, Mogly, Dr rich, Mike, and Dan the man. I just stared and watched them do the simplest rudiments but to me it was so much more. I left that class and didn’t go back till I could stand my own. Next year, 10th grade I was still in the wheel chair but only half the year, and I started
But of course there are the complications of being me. I can’t bend my wrist up, I can’t straighten my arms, I can’t make a fist and all my finger joints are swollen from the lack of cartilage. But did I care one bit about if playing would make me worse or not? Nope. And it did just the opposite; I practiced chops for 2 hours a day and played drum set for 4. I was hardcore practicing all the time, anywhere and everywhere.
To rap things up I am now 17 years old, I am on my feet all the time, I have 2 jobs, I have my own band, I am in band at school, I practice marching with a 25 lbs snare drum till I’m crying blood, and I plan on being on drumline next year for MSD and overall I’m living MY American dream and that is to be playing drums. Now despite whether or not any one cares. I don't I am the person I've always wanted to be, and im done with being sad im done with being bumbed about anything. Everyone always says "look at what you've done" it just seems I've never had a mirror look at. I am ME. And I am done with this Dramatic LJ world. As me and Ke Ke say... LAAAAAAAHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYTTTTEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!
Some things as most people know I’ve had really rough. There isn’t anything I haven’t been through. I’ve had arthritis since the age of two, I’ve had 9 broken bones, 2 concussions, 1 major surgery, tendonitis, carpel tunnel, torn ligaments, dislocations, and at one point I had to rely on crutches to get around. That was about age 13. I couldn’t walk, I couldn’t put on my own socks, I couldn’t write with a pencil. I was so sick of feeling like crap that I had found the best doc in the state… Or so it was said.
I had a surgery on Friday, April the 13th of 2001. The surgery was to fix my contractions in my hips and knees. It was planned for me to have mild bandages and stitches and walk out of the hospital 2 days later better then ever. Not the case. I woke up drugged up with morphine and all I saw was a blurry wall of plaster. There were 2 full leg casts bent at 120 degrees. That’s not the sick part though… what was worse is that one-day after the surgery my doc came in and said to flip over on your stomach. Ok… imagine for a sec, your knees being bent all the way to your but for the very FIRST time in your life with fresh incisions all around your legs from where they operated on. So like a pancake the doc flipped me over and all I could do was scream bloody murder for 30 min till they put me back on my back where I laid down on my back feeling the stitches freshly ripped. I had to do that every 20 min and gradually increase 15 min every time.
After about 2 months I got the casts removed, yay right?! No. When they cut them off I could wait to straighten my legs. But as soon as they both were off my legs wouldn’t move. I couldn’t straighten them and I definitely couldn’t lift them. It’s called atrophy, where you lose all your strength in you mussels because they weren’t being used. This is what the doc said after he found out what happened. Go to PA and see this doc. So I did, and you want to know what amazing and inspirational advice I got? “Well we could break both of his legs and bend them back words and fuse them like that… yeah that’ll work” my mom said “ Are you crazy?” I said “what else can you think of?” “Well we could just fuse the knees and put you in a cool electric wheelchair. Wouldn’t that be nice Stephen.” We just said thanks and then left.
I began to think… of who I wanted to be and what I really wanted to do with my life. Then as I was thinking I was practicing on my drum pad. No joke. And that was the beginning. So for the first day of my high school year I got to start it in a wheelchair with an “aid” pushing me around. The VERY first day I went into band class and wow did I feel awkward. Mr. Rusnak welcomed me but everyone else just stared and wondered what I was doing. In a circle was Nick, Dan, Mogly, Dr rich, Mike, and Dan the man. I just stared and watched them do the simplest rudiments but to me it was so much more. I left that class and didn’t go back till I could stand my own. Next year, 10th grade I was still in the wheel chair but only half the year, and I started
But of course there are the complications of being me. I can’t bend my wrist up, I can’t straighten my arms, I can’t make a fist and all my finger joints are swollen from the lack of cartilage. But did I care one bit about if playing would make me worse or not? Nope. And it did just the opposite; I practiced chops for 2 hours a day and played drum set for 4. I was hardcore practicing all the time, anywhere and everywhere.
To rap things up I am now 17 years old, I am on my feet all the time, I have 2 jobs, I have my own band, I am in band at school, I practice marching with a 25 lbs snare drum till I’m crying blood, and I plan on being on drumline next year for MSD and overall I’m living MY American dream and that is to be playing drums. Now despite whether or not any one cares. I don't I am the person I've always wanted to be, and im done with being sad im done with being bumbed about anything. Everyone always says "look at what you've done" it just seems I've never had a mirror look at. I am ME. And I am done with this Dramatic LJ world. As me and Ke Ke say... LAAAAAAAHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYTTTTEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!