A Hero to Myself

I hope he's cool with this, and I think I remember him saying it was cool: today I am posting the words my nephew John Sander Christensen wrote a few years ago. As he has grown older and is nearing teenager-dom, he has gradually come to realize a few realities of his life and has taken responsibility for himself in ways I never could have when I was his age, and these words are part of that. The following words are about back surgery, and for John this was just one of a series of challenges he will come to face, and if you know or will come to know my nephew you will hear his personal story from him in his own words. John is a natural writer, budding musician and one extremely funny and joyful kid. I'm proud to say that he recently won selection to the national Reflections Program photography competition, winning the Montana state title and of course his regional contest in his hometown of Great Falls.

Thank you, buddy, very very much for sharing these words with me when I was there over Christmas... you're my kind of hero and your uncle loves you and misses you, but I can't wait to dance with you non-stop in Oregon this summer at the NorthWest String Summit. WHOO HOOO!!


A Hero To Myself by John Christensen
Back surgery is the worst thing that has happened to me.
"Mom," I said, "Why did you wake me up?!!"
"Remember surgery?" said Mom. Then Mom let me sleep for 5 more minutes. When I got to the hospital I was so scared my teeth chattered. I got in the waiting room and waited with a warm blanket for what felt like hours. Then they put me on anesthesia. Anesthesia is a medicine that makes your senses go numb.

I woke up in my room, tried to roll over and then, "Ow, ow, ow!!!" Mom got the nurse, so I could get a pain reliever. I slept like a log for hours. Then I woke up and turned on the TV and watched all night.

It was so painful because I got an I.V. tube, but it was worth it. Another hard thing was relearning to walk. It was like learning to write with broken fingers, but much more wobbly. I took it step by step. It took lots of practice, time and stress on my back. I hated getting to and from a lying and a sitting position.

Yes, I did have fun in the hospital too. I played a joke on my Mom and got lots of presents and cards. I went home after 5 days. My first meal at home was Wendy's.

I'm very proud of how I made it through my back surgery. It was a lot of pain for an eight year old to get through. Since I was only 8 years old when I did that, it made me feel like a different kind of hero.