Ten years ago was my tenth wedding anniversary. We had hoped to travel to cooler climes on our anniversaries. But in 2010 I was recovering from knee replacement surgery.
In 1969 I was in an automobile accident. The collision spun my car around and then hit a huge tree. As a result my left kneecap was shattered. The pieces were surgically removed. The kneecap functions as a fulcrum to the lever formed by the long leg bones. Its removal results in a 33% permanent disability.
The disability worsened as I aged. I saw an orthopedist who told me to wait as long as possible for a knee replacement. I waited until I was 59. He replaced the knee joint but could not replace the kneecap.
So, in July 2010, when Rice University's classes were out for the summer I got my new knee joint. It was wonderfully successful.
My husband and I celebrated our tenth anniversary at the restaurant in Hotel ZaZa. We spoke about how we would have a vacation the next year to celebrate.
But, by our 11th anniversary on August 5, 2011 my husband had become quadriplegic as a result of a fall in November 2010. He also had sustained a severe brain injury.
Shortly after our anniversary in 2012 I found out that he had proposed and given an engagement ring to his young Mexican caregiver. He told me he didn't love me or even like me anymore. We were divorced in 2013.
I love to celebrate holidays, anniversaries and birthdays. Today is no cause for celebration though.
