Readers of my blog know that I am a Buffalo Bills fan. Since opening day I have wrote a couple of posts about Kevin Everett. Little did I know that a few weeks ago I would have my own Kevin Everett experience. Mine was nothing as sever as his. I never stopped breathing and was in no danger of dieing. I was able to get up, but I could not stand. I could not walk. Like Kevin Everett I did have surgery. Unlike Kevin Everett my life was never in danger, but it was scary all the same. The funny part about it was that the day I came home from the hospital my copy of SI with him on the cover was in my mailbox. I guess that was a sign to me that I should write a something about it. Something about my own experience.

My accident happened on December 7th, Pearl Harbor Day. For some strange reason that seems to fit. If you have been watching The Weather Channel lately you saw that winter hit here in Upstate New York early. Right after Thanksgiving we got snow. It was that wet, rainy, slushy type of snow. We call it heart attack snow here in the east. Because it is so heavy when you shovel it. I got stuck out in it for awhile because my wife’s car broke down while she was on her way to work. This caused me to catch a pretty good cold. So I guess I used that as an excuse not to shovel a good as I should have. The problem is that if you don’t get this type of snow off the ground immediately, it freezes. There is nothing you can do to get it up. No matter how much you chop and pound it doesn’t come off. You have to wait for it to warm up and thaw. To make matters worst when the fresh show falls the old frozen stuff is still there. It just gets covered up. So it is easy to forget about it. Especially this time of the year. When you have other things on your mind like Christmas, New Years, and getting to work.

Well, I’m guessing that you have a pretty good idea what happens next. What happened to me on Friday, December 7th, 2007. I fell!

I came down on my left knee and ruptured the quadriceps tendon. My operation took place on Tuesday, December 11th. I have staples in my leg. My leg has a wrap on it and a large brace. I need crutches, or a walker, to help me get around. I will have to do rehab for three months to about a year.

A couple things surprised me about all this. First, is how fast it happened. How quickly my life changed. Even if it is only temporary. The second is when I was describing to people how it happened. I kept using the example of when I played football in high school. When I was on the kickoff team. How I would be running downfield and the only thing on my mind was tackling the guy with the ball. Next thing I know I’m on the ground because I got blindsided by one of the blockers. You may find this hard to believe, but I thought of Kevin Everett while I was in recovery. The TV was on and I heard somebody say that he was going to be the cover story in that week’s Sports Illustrated. That was when I realized the example I was using to describe my accident.

After I got home it took me a couple of days before I could open that SI magazine. When I finally did I could relate to some of it. Like how we take for granted just getting up from the kitchen table and going to the refrigerator just to get a drink out. After reading the article I though a lot about him, my favorite team, and the blogs that I had written about them in the past. How I wrote in the grand scheme of things it really does not matter who wins or loses a football game.

Still, I can admit the weekend before my operation I watched my Bills beat up on the hapless Dolphins. For a couple of hours I did feel better! Hey, any Bills fan who is as old as me remembers the decade of the 70s. When the Dolphins beat my Bills twice a year for ten straight seasons. So a winning season to an old Buffalo Bills fan like me is when we beat Miami twice in one year. No matter what! No matter how good or bad these teams are. It does not matter if the quarterbacks are Bob Griese and Joe Ferguson, Dan Marino and Jim Kelly, or Cleo Lemon and Trent Edward. Beating Miami twice in one season makes the off-season in Western New York less cold.

When my Bills have lost to the Dolphins it is not be the end of the world. The sun would come up the next day. And at the end of the December I have family and friends around to celebrate the holidays with, and that’s what is really important. But with that being said the sports fan in my loves when my Bills beat the Dolphins twice in one season. I guess that is why we love sports so much. Because for a couple of hours a week we can forget all about our cares and worries. Even when one of them is an operation on your leg in a few days.

Kevin Everett and I do share something in common this season. That is the out pouring of love and support we received from people since our accidents. You may have read about how people have sent him cards. Also bought t-shirts and jerseys with his number 85 on it. That money went to charity. To help others walk again like Kevin and I will someday.

I too have been overwhelmed by the love, help and support I have received from many friends and family members. Leading this charge is my wife. It is a very humbling experience when someone has to help you put on your shoes, or wipe your ####. Others have stepped up to the plate, big time, to help out. And the old saying is true; it is the little things that matter. From just doing things like sending a get well card, bringing over a hot meal, going to the store, walking my dogs, and shoveling and snow blowing my driveway. I now know how George Bailey felt at the end of It’s a Wonderful Life.

Today is the final week of the NFL season. A lot has changed for Kevin Everett and myself since the season started. One of them is that up till my accident I have faithfully blogs most weeks. Not that writing a post about who I thing is going to win NFL games is any big deal, but at least I stuck with it. That is a big accomplishment for me! Next up will be sticking with my rehab! From what I have heard from others this will not be easy, and very painful.

Finally, as the curtain comes down on the 2007 NFL season and we get ready for the playoffs I hope you will join me for my 2008 resolution. It is to be patience. Don’t always be in a hurry. Don’t wait for an accident to happen to make you stop and smell the roses. To appreciate those around you and all the things we talk for granted, like taking a walk around the block. I’m sure anyone that got hurt during the war that began December 7th, 1941, or any other conflict since, knows what I am talking about.

I apologize to anyone reading this who is in a wheelchair or lost a limb. I can’t be a spokesperson for you. Still, maybe I can share my experience with others. Hopefully by telling people about what happened to me will teach them to please try and be patience and understanding. Ask yourself “what’s the hurry” before you try to get by someone that may have to use a cane, crutches, walker, or in a wheelchair. Imagine what it might be like for them when they are running late. Also remember that they really hate those aids that they must use to get around. They are forced to use them as a by product of circumstances that they can’t control. Whether it is by age, or an accident. Having part of your independence taken away from you is a very emotional experience. An experience that Kevin Everrett and myself shared this past football season. An experience that I know we will never forget.