THE RECOVERY -- PART 4

ESSAY BY HEIDI JOHNSON-WRIGHT

This appointment, however, was different.

In his most fatherly, reassuring voice he made it clear that it was time to consider a revision of the prosthesis in the left hip. 

Since I had chosen my doc because of his reputation as an experienced “revisionist,” I figured I was in good hands. 

That was until he told me that my arthritis-ravaged anatomy and thin, decalcified bones were too big a challenge, even for him. 

Which is how I soon found myself in the waiting room of Dr. T.

Doctor J. had spoken of Dr. T. in hushed tones of reverence, a pioneer in the reconstruction of joints ravaged by cancer or severe arthritis.

He pioneered a procedure in which he handcrafts a customized joint to each patient.

I figured that, when I finally met him, there would be cherubim and seraphim fluttering around him, shielding his face from the gaze of mere mortals. 

But he was just another guy, although a very tall and large-framed one, built like a college football linebacker, as so many of the best human carpenters are.

RECOVERY ESSAY CONTINUES TOMORROW -- FEBRUARY 5