Part 17… Colorado Fun

As the months went by, the medical team was able to completely close all the wounds with skin grafts. The next obstacle was the large amount of fluid collection. It took months to get the problem treated. He recieved a built up shoe with a brace. His leg was 2 ½ inches shorter; he had no feeling and could not move the ankle but he was walking. He was able to stop using crutches and walk with a cane. It was another year before he gained enough strength to walk without a cane.

In typical Boyd fashion he accepted his handicap with a good attitude. Ever present was the relief and joy of surviving the war. He began living at the apartment and recieved treatments as an outpatient. Life was feeling more normal.

We loved the mountains, the climate and all the opportunities to enjoy life. My sister and her husband came out for a weeklong vacation. Close in age we had spent a lot of time with them before the war. It was good to be together. One day we headed to the mountains for the beautiful drive that would lead to Estes Park. After stopping for our picnic lunch, Marylee and I decided to hop among the rocks in the mountain stream. It wasn’t long before our feet slipped off the rocks and we had cold feet!

We showed them all our favorite spots we had found in the last nine months. The future looked bright as we began talking about returning to Illinois. My coworkers teased me that I would be back, after all who can leave the mountains?