One Friday afternoon last April, Mama slid down a small flight of stairs (just three steps) in our laundry area. This wouldn't be much of a problem, had not the steps been slippery (the laundry area was outdoors) and Mama being her age (she is turning 75 in October). I found myself frantic on the cellphone, minutes after I received the SMS Dad sent me about Mama's accident. How is she, Are there any bones broken, Why aren't you in the hospital yet? were just some of the questions I asked my family (in my high-pitched, panicky voice) as I tried to deal with the news.
Luckily, Mama was conscious and had no broken bones. She did, however, rupture her patellar tendon and as such, would have to go surgery and physical therapy to regain the full use of her knee and left leg.
Mama's current condition has taken a toll on the family in a number of ways. We are all stressed and a bit sad to see her in bed almost 24x7, with only about an hour a day exercising her legs using a walker. She hasn't even gone out of the house since coming home from surgery (almost two months now).
She started her series of physical therapy sessions last Tuesday and can flex her left knee up to 78 degrees. To be able to climb down a flight of stairs, she would have to come up to a full 90-degree bend, which will take several more PT sessions and some more patience. We are optimistic that Mama will be walking again come July but as of
now, she is taking a lot of patient baby steps to get there.
