Monday, June 6, 2011

My Very Own Before and After

In April 2009 I was in a very serious car accident in which my tibia and fibula (both bones in my lower leg) were broken; my surgeon informed us that I could have easily lost my leg. Luckily, he was a brilliant spinal surgeon and he put me back together again. I spent two and a half weeks in the hospital and then another 4 months working to walk again.

Here I am in the hospital. After two weeks in I finally had the energy to put on make up and do my hair.


The next picture shows my leg post-op. You can see stitches and it might be a little much for you if you can't handle wounds. There is only one though! I had a surgery prior to this one that would have provided more weird pictures, but I decided to spare you!

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I have worked really hard over the last two years to lose weight and start exercising. It hasn't always been easy. I have had to push myself to overcome physical and emotional barriers and fears that would have kept me from trying new things. A couple of months ago I did a Rape Aggression Defense class that helped me overcome the irrational fear of hurting myself (specifically my leg). After that I decided to run a 5k.

So here is a picture from two days ago. It's me running in the Susan G. Komen Global Race for the Cure.


Crossing the finish line.



And the true "before and after" portion of the post: my leg, new running shoes, and timer.

This is, quite honestly, something I never thought I would do. You might notice that there are a lot of people around me who are walking. That's because I found this race to be more difficult than I imagined, so I, too, ended up walking some of it. A lot of it actually. :) But I finished! Not only that, but I finished in under an hour. 47 minutes if you're curious. I can't wait to sign up for another one so I can improve my time and my skills. 

Looking at the two pictures of my leg I find myself thinking of a quote by Arthur C. Clarke, "The only way to discover the limits of the possible is to go beyond them into the impossible."

18 comments:

  1. Great job; so proud of you! :)

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  2. Awesome job! T and I were wondering how you did :) I'm already thinking about another race too, it was a lot of fun!

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  3. I am so proud of you! I would be happy to run a race with you any time if you want company!

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  4. Darling daughter, that was such a terrible time. I am so thankful that Heavenly Father saved you and am equally thankful that you have blessed our family. I love you a lot.

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  5. I would love to join a race anytime too! You are an inspiration to everyone Jenny! Way to go!

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  6. jenny that is awesome!!!!!! wow- you are amazing! and andi and i are up fro some more 5ks! :) we had so much fun!!

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  7. Congrats Jenny! You are very inspiring.

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  8. That's awesome! Congratulations! Here's to more 5ks in your future. Thanks for the inspiration. :)

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  9. That is an amazing story! You go girl!!!

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  10. Found from the before and after link on TDC...LOVE that you did this as a before and after. Inspirational! and thanks for reminding that not all changes have to be tangible!

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  11. What an awesome thrill! Good on you. You can now officially call that your Victory scar! You are an over comer, well well done!

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  12. You are amazing. I really loved hearing you talk about the race at church the other day. You made me cry...in a good way. I was thinking about my own long race to getting Aubrey home. And I really appreciated your thoughts.

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  13. Jenny you are an inspiration!! I'm so proud of you!! So glad you joined the team! Can't wait until we do it again...it was kinda life changing, never ever thought i was a runner and now i can't wait until my next race!

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  14. What an amazing story! I am losing weight with running as well. I am slow but dont care cause I am out there! Be proud of yourself :)

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  15. A truly amazing story. You have inspired me and I am sure many others to tie on their running shoes and just head out of their door to try.

    Thank you for sharing and inspiring!
    Stephanie

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  16. You are a rockstar. Way to go girl! That takes strenth and determination for sure!!

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  17. Wow, what an amazing story!You go girl!

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