With 24 hours to go until game day I can’t help but reflect on why on earth I would put my body through this insanity once again. Oh yes, it’s no triathlon where my feet end up bloody and bruised, but it is one hell of a rough experience on the body, especially when your body isn’t up to snuff. Scoliosis, arthritis, chronic pain. They all impact my ability to do even the most basic tasks.
Today I couldn’t get out of bed. Sure. All my limbs were responding. I could wiggle my toes and fingers, I could move my head and neck, but anything beyond the most cursory movements resulted in intense pain. My feet, my legs and arms, my back. It felt like someone was threading needles in and out of my spine. It was agony and it took me an extra hour to pull myself out and into the shower where hot water somehow managed to simultaneously make me feel sick and offer me a slice of relief.
And yet, and yet. I got up. I will go to work. I will earn a meager paycheque and I will go home to prep fresh fruit and veg for Cheryl and I to nom on tomorrow. I will do some writing, because I am painfully behind on NaNoWriMo. I will do all this and more because 14 years ago I had my spine fused to prevent a devastating case of scoliosis from moving further and impacting my life even more than it already had. Already my right lung wasnt receiving as much air as it should, and my ability to do standard 13 year old things was impacted.
They were able to schedule me in for the surgery in a matter of months because it had to be done. I received world class care from a doctor whose influence still brightens my life every day. I am, essentially, whole and capable because of Alberta Children’s Hospital. I owe then more than I can ever repay.
So 24 hours of gaming, with an additional week long impact on my body is a small price to pay in order to be able to breathe, live, exist.
I am at $825 at the writing of this post. It’s amazing the generosity people have shown over the last two months. Now is the time for the final push. Every dollar helps. Every share, reblog, or mention brings attention to this amazing cause.
The Code Series 