My name is Roberta Crandall.  I live in Brentwood, Tennessee, but I haven't been home in nearly a year ... and that was after I got discharged from the USMC on account of injuries incurred in battle.

I have been in the hospital for over six months; I was doing fine at the rehabilitation center, but then I got a rare bacterial infection that resulted in losing my other leg; I'm now forced to live the rest of my life as a double amputee.  On top of that I had a stroke, so I only have one good working arm.  Life has been quite hard and at times I still feel as if I'm at war, excepting the enemy now is my body.

I'm back at the rehab hospital, where I have to go through a daily regimen of occupational and physical (as well as emotional) therapy.  I'm a medical nightmare.

I was in the USMC (United States Marine Corps for those who don't know or understand Military Speak) for over 20 years; gave 'em 20 + years of good, faithful service.  Then I got the damn injury right before I was set to retire and then the nec fac (necrotizing fasciitis, or nec-fac) set in and the stroke.  I'm now considered 100% disabled.  I will be getting a nice, fat pension for the rest of my life.  But it won't get me a job or my old life back.

Before I lost my leg(s) and got sick, I had a very happy life.  I was extremely athetic; I did it all.  I skied.  Swam.  Ran over 10 miles a day (five if the weather sucked).  Climbed hills and hiked.  Traveled the continental United States and went to Canada and Europe.  Then I went to Iraq and got my damned leg blown off in a bomb blast.  Damn insurgents killed all but two (I was the lesser injured of the pair who survived, if you can believe it; my buddy was left with part of her brain missing; she's now in a nursing home, unable to do anything for herself).

Now I'm back home in Tennessee, but not really.  I'm stuck in Nashville, at the rehab facility where I am working like hell to try to get my life back.  The nurses have been fabulous; the doctors, so-so.  There have been some good ones (Dr. Stryker, Dr. Arjuwahl, Dr. Mehta, Dr. Majaj, Dr. Fuller, Dr. Wright; there are others, but these six docs stand out the most, as they all gave me the best of care), but some of the other docs have sucked royally.  It's no wonder they call it medical practice: some of these docs haven't perfected it yet.  LOL

A little medical humor here (very little ...) ... :)

I don't know when I will get out of here, but one thing is certain: when I do (and I get used to living life as a cripple), I am going to get the biggest goddamn steak dinner and maybe have seconds (or possibly even thirds).  The food they serve here in the hospital is the shits!

~To be continued.~