I am certain you have heard rumblings about this crusty old man, so I felt I needed to write a short post to let you know some details. So here goes the short story. More details will follow. On Friday, my son and I decided a short quick trip to Stockton lake would work into our schedule. We loaded up the WaveRunners and left. The time on the lake was great. The water and air temperatures were nearly perfect. We rode a while and decided to head back to the boat dock. It was during the ride back that the crash occurred. Basically, I was T-Boned. My right leg was mangled. Fortunately other boaters arrived at the scene, and helped me back to a waiting ambulance at the shore. Bryan used a rope as a tourniquet to keep me from bleeding out. That brave young man saved my life. I was life flighted to Cox South in Springfield. I had emergency surgery and my leg was removed just above the knee. I required 8 units of blood during surgery and one more through the night in Intensive Care. Thank you to all who donate blood. My surgeon thinks I will be here for a full week. Last night I was taken out of Intensive Care into a regular room. Since being admitted, it has been a flurry of doctors, nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, case workers. Just this morning, I have come to grips with terms like “mangled legs” “stumps” and feel I am closer to talking more openly. A more detailed post will come soon. As I was bobbing in the lake, I stayed calm and took an assessment. I have two healthy arms, one good leg and NO brain injury. I know in my heart that these things AND the prayers of an Army of believers and well wishers will result in a new (and improved) Al Mendez. It will be an interesting path, but I am convinced it will all work out. The Practice is still open. I have temporary doctors helping me out. My team is doing an AMAZING job. A big Thank you to them. (Of course their motivation is to avoid breaking in a new doc!) My wife Shari has spent many hours on the phone with insurance agents, etc. a HUGE Thank you to this strong lady. As you see I am blessed and am confident all will be “back to normal ” soon. Thank you to my family of patients and friends. You have been a major support to my family and me. As instated earlier, a more detailed post will be coming. I just felt you deserved some information. Until next time, keep on keeping on!
Posted on: Tue, 08 Jul 2014 00:02:24 +0000
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