Open Letter to my Right Foot¶
Dear Right Foot,
You will be truly missed. I cannot convey how much you will be missed but it was necessary and I’m sorry that you had to go. I am sobbing right now just trying to write this letter to you. It has been a very difficult roller coaster ride for me. I loved you so much. You served me so well over the years.
Remember all those times playing soccer? Remember when you were there for me when I joined the Marine Corps? Remember all the times being a security guard where I needed to use you for my whole shift, and I could not sit down? Remember the times that we were at the beach? We skim boarded, surfed, bodyboarded, body surfed, played frisbee, ran, played beach soccer, and any other activity that we decided to do at the beach. You were so strong and supportive. You were there for me when I needed you most. You kept me up on my feet, upon solid ground. We had so much fun together. I will never forget what you have done for me over the years.
I am so sorry you had to go but you had to. I thought long and hard and it was such a difficult decision for me. I thought about my quality of life if I had kept you around. I don’t think my quality of life would have been up to par with what I want if you would have stayed around. The doctors were saying that you could have stuck around but I knew that wasn’t a viable option. They said that I would be able to walk, but it would have been with a limp. I would be lucky to do anything more than walking. Then, I had to think about when I turn 50 or 60…how would you have been then? Would you have been able to be there for me still? I don’t know, who knows really? And how about the journey to re-growing the bone that was taken from me because of infection? It would have been a long journey with many unknowns and risks that I was not interested in taking, especially that there wasn’t any guarantee that my quality of life would have been good.
It is not your fault at all, please do not think that I didn’t want you anymore. I cared for you so much and miss you so much right now and probably will never stop missing you. It was necessary, so that I can live the life that I feel would have fulfilled my vision of the life that I want to live. I just couldn’t see a good life with you sticking around. I saw a life that I wouldn’t have been happy with. I tried so hard to visualize a good life with you around, but I couldn’t. I saw a life with many hospital visits over the years, not able to run and keep up with my son, and a life that didn’t live up to my vision of what I wanted my quality life to be.
I love you and I will miss tremendously. I am hurting without you but, at the same time, I am so happy to finally be on the road to recovery. I am on the road to recovery because you made the greatest sacrifice that anybody can make. One that nobody can come back from. You will never be forgotten.
Thank you for listening,
Forrest
