Now, to preface this, I don't want to seem whiny. I hope you get a kick out of some of this, and I hope you can relate to some of it too. Personally, we have dealt with much more difficult things in our lives. This really is a small thing in the grand scheme of things.
But it's something going on in our lives, and it doesn't just affect me. We are a small business, so when things out of the "norm" occur, we have to pivot and adapt. Everything is going to be fine; you just have to figure it out. And if you attack things with a willingness to accept a challenge and take action, it goes so much better.
In Cambridge, us "old guys" get together and play basketball on Sunday and Wednesday nights. We have just started up in recent weeks as our farmers finish up harvest, as of course, we need enough bodies to play 5-on-5 or 4-on-4.
Our basketball isn't glamorous. We're old and slow. Sorry, guys; I'm speaking for all of us. The passing and shooting are good, but from an athleticism standpoint, it isn't appealing to the eye. It's good basketball with fundamentals, but we aren't going to "wow" you.
But we must not be too bad. We won a tournament in Loomis this summer, and there were some pretty good, young teams there.
For context, I am more of a catch-and-shoot scorer. I won't beat you off the dribble; I know my role, and that's what I do.
From an injury standpoint, I have always had knee problems. I have had MCL stretches and strains, tendonitis, and an osteochondral lesion in my right knee. My knees have always had some kind of pain, but it never stopped me from playing for the most part.
In the second game on November 24th, I did a cut toward the hoop near the three-point line. If memory serves right, I took one dribble and then took a long step and elevated to the hoop. As I pushed off my left leg, I felt a sudden "pop" in my knee.
Before I continue I want to make it clear, I made the layup. In my head it was a great move, but I'm willing to bet I looked super unathletic as it happened.
Back to the pop in my knee. As I landed, it didn't hurt. It was super weak, though, so I thought, "Oh, just a tweak, let's keep playing." Dumb idea. After that game wrapped up, I said, "Guys, I gotta call it." I said I had tweaked my knee, so it should be fine, but it needed to be done.
Deep down, I knew this wasn't right. I just had false hope it was "fine."
Having had a bigger knee injury in the past, it reminded me of the time I hurt my right knee playing football in high school and had that osteochondral lesion. I asked my wife to come pick me up as I had walked to the gym that night. I knew that much more: something wasn't right as I could not bend my knee to get into the car.
So I walked home.
I had my wife go to my parents and get my old crutches. Wanted to play it safe until we knew what was wrong.
I went to Physical Therapy on Tuesday; one of our advertisers, Cambridge Rehab and Fitness, and they got me moving a little bit better. They agreed that something was not right. Of course, they'll be seeing me for a while now.
I had pain on the front, the back, and basically everywhere. As the week went on, it got better, but it was still not right.
I scheduled an appointment to see an Orthopedic Surgeon. So I went on Tuesday, December 3rd, for imaging and to get checked out. I was very positive going in. Felt good about the progress I had made.
After my MRI, my doctor came in and said, "Well, it's impressive." My stomach dropped.
ACL, fine. Other ligamnets, fine. Meniscus, tiny tear but nothing to worry about, Doc said. Then we get to the patellar tendon. Not good. But also, it's not that bad. I have a medial patellar tendon tear. There was a tear in the middle of the tendon, but the outside edges were able to hang on. Nearly ruptured, but not quite. Thank goodness.
Cody Gerlach and his wife Ashley run the Valley Voice and they collab with us on the magazine. And we have been coordinating with them to get the winter magazine out. Travel has become quite difficult with this situation. But, he gave me a good laugh. "Way to hold back," is what he said. I needed a chuckle.
So, we had two options: go in, get it operated on, and have a six-month recovery.
Yuck.
The other option, which the healthcare professionals and I thought was the best course of action, was to put me in a restricted, straight-legged brace for a month and see if scar tissue would fill in. The bonus? I can walk on it. So you'll see me swinging my leg around at games for the next month or so.
So, basically, I can't bend my knee at all. It could be worse—it could be so, so, so much worse. Now we will see if I heal properly and can avoid surgery. Let's hope so.
Now back to my prompt and the "funny" part of it. Do I retire from basketball after I get fully healthy? When the injury occurred, a comment was made, from one of the guys, "Evan, I don't think we've seen you make a move like that before."
Well, now we know why. I just tried to rupture my patellar tendon in the process.
My goal has been to play until I'm 40. I'm 28 now, so throw this season out the window. But would it be worth it to keep trying?
For me, it's not just about playing the sport I love; it's a social thing. Between work, life, and everything else, it's hard to meet up with friends. It's not impossible, but it's hard. So I have prioritized this to see buddies.
I like to remain competitive. I like winning. We play for fun, but I love to win. So I have always enjoyed the opportunity to compete.
It's just fun. God gave me the ability to understand the game and shoot the ball a little, and there is nothing like teammates setting beautiful screens, throwing pocket passes, catching, shooting, and drilling a three.
So, right now, I'm undecided. I have to see how I heal. If I'm done, I can live with it, I won't like it, but it will be okay.
I had a lot of fun, and hey, with that tournament we won, we got a little cash, so I was a pro for a day, right? That's what I'm going with.
As I mentioned, the last couple of weeks have been tricky. So, we appreciate your patience as we navigate this knee injury. It is hard as our business car is a 2013 Chrysler 200. I already struggle to fit in that car. Now, with one leg restricted, it is impossible to sit in the front. We are a bit of a clown show getting me in and out of the car, especially with my height.
Be thinking and praying for my wife. She already takes care of a two-year-old and now a 6'4 hurt baby.
The bright side? This, too, shall pass. And it will all be okay. We will take action and find a way to make it work.
And if it was the last time I play ball, I hit some shots and more importantly, we won the game. Not a bad way to go out, right?
