Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Scar Tissue

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/21/health/21case.html?ref=health

I always say that scars build character and that each scar is a story. The NY Times thinks so too. Well, Dana Jennings does. He talks about the many scars that he has and a little about how he got them.

Scars are an enormous part of my life. My body is pocked with scars like a treasure map. I used to be very embarrassed of my scars but now I realize there are more important things than being self-conscious about a stitch.

I got my first scar, at least the first one I recall, when I was 5. I had a bone infection but doctors were quite sure what I had. They performed a biopsy on my leg and that’s the first of the many scars I’ve gotten in my life. When doctors finally figured out what was wrong with me, I was awarded a long scar down my left shin. I was 6 and I remember having to wear a cast for 3 months in the middle of the summer. I missed out on a lot of the summer fun but have interesting memories from that time as well, which I’ll talk about in another blog eventually.

And then the list just kept growing and I’ve forgotten when and how I got many of my scars. In a strange way, I am proud of my scars. They are reminders of tests that I have been put through where I came out with a few battle wounds.

My scars often remind me too that if I didn’t have those scars, my life could have turned out very differently. I could have passed away during some of my surgeries, but I’m here. I am incredibly happy to be alive and I’m so ecstatic that my body allows me to do what I do. Often too many people complain about their bodies and I think if people were reminded on a daily basis of how lucky we are to be alive, then maybe they wouldn’t complain about such ephemeral stuff like their looks and being thin.

1 comment:

M said...

Well said and a great perspective on your scars. They are indeed a reminder of what is important in life and the fact that we could easily have not survived some of our "battles" to even have a scar. I can't wait to hear the story of the leg surgery when you were six!