Pwers1103's blog

It never ceases to amaze me how in today's world, so many people (including men on this site) actually think that their personal issues should be publicized. Anyone who knows me knows that I am extremely private- in chat, I am not there to tell everyone my business but hopefully meet other men for a match. But recently, I've read a few blogs & I have a story to tell- for all of U Tuff Guys, U may want to stop reading now because the fite did not happen in the ring or on the mats.
Being a witness to history, I'm also going to make a few comments that I think should be made-
as a man of my age, I don't believe younger men in their 20s, 30s, & 40s really appreciate just how lucky they are- they can get on the internet, meet men all over the world & arrange a match; when I came out in the 70s & moved to NYC, there may have been half a dozen gyms in the entire city (few of which were well equipped)- today, when I'm down in the city, there are tons of gyms not only for lifting weights but X-fit, bjj, MMA, boxing/kickboxing (it kills me that an amazing boxing gym opened a block from where I used to live & the squash courts of my former "health club" are now an incredible workout space), so lucky again; but most important, few if any realize just how lucky they are that they are and can wrestle/fite each other rather than fite a deadly epidemic- having lived in NYC in the prime of my life during the AIDS epidemic, I lost a whole social network of friends & all of my partners. My life was not watching the "Normal Heart" but actually living it for a dozen years- most of all, I am VERY lucky that the disease "passed me over", that I have not only survived but thrive. But I will always remember & the younger generation of tuff studs should also remember just how lucky they are.
Most men look at my profile, they see my pics (& yeah, very proud of my bod Dudes- not so tuff to have a muscular bod when Ur young but at my age, it requires work/discipline- 40 years of being a gym rat & engaging in as many athletic activities as I could handle ) & since this is a numbers site, sadly not many matches. Living in a rural area does not help but as my file indicates, I've had my share of sports injuries- when I first went online, I had an elbow injury, went to a surgeon, thought it was healed & had a match w a guy whose file said he was 20lbs heavier but actually was closer to 40lbs heavier; I should have been more patient because in a lock-up, the elbow snapped, the arm broke, tri tendon ripped so time off for surgery/rehab; a year later, my shoulder was sore (in my younger days, I was bench pressing 315lbs 5X regularly, max of 365/375 & yeah, that eventually takes its toll BUT I did have a 46 inch chest, grin), went to a surgeon up here who said my shoulder was a flat tire & could not be fixed after 2 torn cuffs; so I went to my city surgeon (nationally renowned, several surgeries w this guy) who repaired it & said I am the only patient/person he knows who has had 3 tears & still functions normally but again time off for surgery/rehab; then, there was the bi tear, wch went from partial to full- in my later years, my arms became my pride & joy- very muscular & vascular (16 inches in my old age, 17 inches younger), incredibly strong so none too happy when 1 of the bi tendons ripped & tho fixed, not as strong as before & even more time off for surgery/rehab, sad face.
But now the tuff fite, where I was really lucky- in mid-January, beautiful day & this guy decided to take a gym break & go hiking in the mountains. Tho cold, no snow & 1 of my favorite spots is Kaaterskill Falls, about 40 miles west in the Catskills- I go in the winter & summer because it's not only a decent hike, over 2 miles from the lot, 1-1.5 miles uphill, but incredibly beautiful (main reason I live upstate NY is because of the wealth of outdoor recreational opportunities). What I did not remember is that altho there was no snow, the mist of the running water does freeze in the ravine & the trail was much icier than I expected- I had my hiking shoes but not my grampians; still, I decided to make the hike & did make it to the top- the entire falls/creek were frozen & my pics are pretty awesome. What was not awesome was the fall on the way down- about half way, I came across a patch of ice about 10-12 feet long on the path, no branches to hold, no stones to lock Ur feet so I decided to tread lightly cept the ice had a mind of its own- after a step or two, I literally flew up in the air & landed smack on my butt; it was as if s/one over-hooked my arms & w brute strength, lifted me 3-4 feet off the ground & dropped me; 2-3 inches of ice is as hard, if not harder, than cement. FYI- being lean muscle, I don't have a beefy butt so that fall HURT & it didn't stop there; since I was on the ice, I just continued to slide, hit my face against a stump, felt the blood in my mouth & rolled off the trail about 5-6 feet into the ravine toward the creek bed but thankfully not all the way down.
Once I stopped moving, I knew the only thing to do was to get myself back onto the trail & that was when I realized, I could not stand- I had no support in my left leg! To complicate matters, about 25 years ago, I was walking w a limp & no one could figure out why until I went to my city surgeon- apparently, I had a bum hip at a young age & it had to be replaced, wch he did & as he promised, I was able to lead a completely normal life (incl wrestling, boxing & whatever else I wanted to do tho some caution was advised). & FYI- there was a famous athlete (Bo Jackson) who had a professional career in 2 sports, baseball & football, & was even younger than me; he too had a hip replacement at the same time but sadly for him, his careers ended (mine would have too if I were playing in either of those sports). Thankfully, I had both the mental resolve & physical ability to find a branch & pull myself back on the trail; looking at my cell, it was now 4:35 in the evening, 15 degrees & most important, NO cell service, no one on the trail & the hi-way not visible: a decision had to be made- wait for help (unlikely) or do what I had to do to try to get help (it was only getting darker & colder & honestly, I did not think I would survive an entire night unable to move in 0 degree weather on an icy trail). So unable to walk, I slid, pulled, crawled myself about a third of a mile down the trail until I could see the curve in the road (still no cell) so I shouted for help. As luck would have it, 2 girls from NYC who were driving down from Hunter Mountain heard me. One drove back to the nearest village, about 4 miles, to get help & the other came up the trail to assist me; seeing my injury, she advised I stay put but I said no- we were still too far away from the road & Search & Rescue would have to deal w me & ice for way too far & too long so she guided me, tree by tree, step by step till we were about 25 yards from the road. I could go no further- at the trailhead, there is a cascade of stones, covered in ice, but lucky (again), the Search & Rescue teams were there & assembling to take me off the mountain, wch they did as carefully as they could; & just in time- shock & hypothermia were beginning to set in. After a 45 minute drive to the nearest ER, I was told that tho my replacement was intact, my femur had fractured radially & a new replacement would be required w substantial surgery (wch lasted 4.5 hours), done by a surgeon, unknown to me but now 1 of my best Buds, who did a remarkable job of making me not only more bionic BUT better, grin, LUCKY!! I was then transferred to an amazing Rehab facility where I not only received excellent care but they helped make me function again- LUCKY!! I was back home in just over 3 weeks & 7 weeks after my fall, I went back to my surgeon who told me that it was his opinion & belief that I am not only healing well BUT in a few months, will be able to do everything I did b4 the accident- LUCKY!! & now that I have begun PT (& some light gym work), my therapist, who rarely pays any comps, has said she is amazed at how well & quickly my recovery is going- LUCKY!!
No, I did not strangle a mountain lion, nor did I have to cut off a limb to save myself nor do I compare myself to the many individuals who have injuries or disabilities much worse than what I have had BUT I think what I did on the mountain that night was pretty damn remarkable- don't ever count this Old Man out! I have strength, resolve, discipline & training- I'm not ready to quit anytime soon! (I'm too young, lol.) Most of U will never have an evening like the one I had back in January (hopefully) but I can only wonder how many of U would be able to do the same (consider that when U look at my numbers).
2 men on this site deserve a special shout out- Mattz, who is one of the tuffest fiters on this site & a genuine guy/sportsman has been a good Bud who, over the years & esp during this time, has only had words of support & encouragement, deeply appreciated Dude. & of course, Redland Guy, who is not only Mr. Tuff Purple Belt but has become a TRUE friend- altho we never grappled, he has stayed at my home bet matches a couple of times & he not only came to see this guy while in the hospital to check in on me BUT came up my 1st weekend home to offer any help he could- those are the actions of a TRUE friend. I am LUCKY to have made the acquaintance of both men on this site. & w/o naming too many names, I want to thank the words of support offered by other Buds w whom I have chatted & become friendly. Be patient, give me some time- I'll be back, maybe not as fully competitive, maybe w some limitations, but I will be back & Luck has a lot to do w it- some fites are like that, grin.