While we are in the midst of the American League Division Series and things don't look great for the Orioles right now, I feel compelled to let the team know what they did for my husband this year.
My husband and I have been fans for a very long time; he has been his whole life, I became a fan in the 70's. We had season tickets during the lean times pre-pandemic and didn't renew after the pandemic due to changes in our lives. We remained fans filled with hope for better days during the rebuild.
This year, my husband had to undergo what I believe is one of the most painful, horrible medical events possible. Due to problems with circulation, he had a below the knee amputation in April, followed by a subsequent above the knee amputation in May because of infection of the first site.
During the stays in the hospital that followed both procedures, my husband was in unimaginable pain, pain that required combinations of the strongest of pain medications. And even they didn't help. It's horrible to watch a loved one go through that. There was nothing to distract him or bring joy into his life at the time. I was there during the day, my daughter stayed with him at night, making sure she kept the staff apprised of his medical needs when they were busy.
And then, the Orioles season started. My husband finally had something to take his mind off his pain. He watched every game as they played throughout his hospital stay and then while he recovered at home. It was their tenacity, their willpower to win that kept him going and gave him strength. I honestly think that if they hadn't been there, his recovery would have either been slowed or he would not have recovered at all.
In reality, they saved his life.
I'm not denying the miracles created by surgeons, doctors, nurses, physical therapists, and, yes, prayer.
But the Orioles gave him joy in the middle of tremendous pain. Without that joy, things would not have gone as well as they have. He is doing well now as he transitions into his prosthetic device and a new way of living.
Because of that, I thank the Orioles for their miraculous summer. No one thought they would do what they have done. I don't know what the next week will hold. It doesn't look good right now. But then again, it didn't look good for my husband until he watched them overcome the odds.
I still have hope and believe in them. They need to believe in themselves.
Let's go O's!
Baseball is fathers playing catch with their sons, in the spring when life begins again, and through the heat of summer. Fall baseball is for professionals, and the hot stove league plays in winter.
My husband spent a great deal of his life coaching little league baseball, playing catch with my daughter who went on to play college softball. He and I both coached youth softball. But, he does love the Orioles and watching them play, especially now!