I'm Back to Work, and It Really Feels Good

Eight weeks can seem like a very long time, when one is out of action.

Let’s put it this way, as your Ladue-Frontenac Patch editor, I have returned from my medical leave.  I told you I would return, way back in October. That seems so long ago now.

Seasons greetings to all and the happiest of holidays.

It feels so good to be back in the saddle. I regret being off the reservation for those tedious and long two months.

In a hut shell, here’s what happened. I had major reconstructive surgery on my left foot.The arch was nearly collapsed (flat feet, too much walking and some bad luck heredity wise). All the physical therapy in the world was no longer making any difference.

I found a young, dashing surgeon who drew up a game plan and made it work to perfection. He is Joshua Naudad, MD from Mid County Orthopedics. Doctor Naudad was different than most other doctors. He knew exactly what was wrong, how to fix it and could communicate in terms that even a nervous patient would understand.

I am now definitely on the mend. I am in the good hands of physical therapist Lauren Holdener at ProRehab in Brentwood. Lauren knows my medical history inside out. She will definitely get me out of my boot/cast and crutches where I can walk on my own again. I wish that was tomorrow, knowing it will take more than a little time to get from here to there.

There are so many to thank

I hardly know where to start. Lets start with my boss Kurt Greenbaum. Kurt rallied the forces to cover my Patch, sent words of encouragement by email and I even suspect ordered the nice cheerful bouquet of seasonal flowers. At the first staff meeting back, he asked our team to welcome me back. The round of applause from the group warmed my heart.

Carlos Restrepo, newly-minted journalism grad of Webster University and super substitute/Patch Intern covered the Ladue-Frontenac Patch while I was away.

Carlos got to meet the Ladue police; learned about local school board politics and even reported on a car crash at Deer Creek Coffee in Ladue. Carlos, thanks a million.

Sports is an important topic in my Patch. Kurt knows that and contracted sports writer Cedric Williams to get out there and get the stories in football, volleyball, basketball, ice hockey and the like. Since a full ambulatory recovery is still a ways off, Cedric will continue covering the local sports scene. He knows his stuff.

How the handicapped have to endure 

Anyone restricted to the use of one good foot rapidly learns about obstacles that get in the way. As I traveled about on crutches and a knee scooter (they work great) you are constantly looking for curb cuts in the sidewalk and how to get up from the street to the curb.

I could hardly believe the only way to enter the Center for Advanced Medicine at BJC hospital on ground level is by using revolving doors or push doors with no electronic mechanisms. I had to force my way into one of the major hospitals in the world.

Anyway, I’m glad to be back on the clock. I am glad management at AOL and Patch.com stand squarely behind their employees and now its time to catch up on the news and get cranking again.