When I was 12 years old, I suffered a terrible back injury. My disc was herniated in the lower lumbar region, and I had a fracture to my spine. How this happened is a mystery. I don’t remember. I have vague ideas but nothing solid. I complained to my mother that I couldn’t bend my leg anymore. She said it was probably my period. That answer confounded me. It was just her way of not dealing with it. Eventually, the issue progressed to a severe limp. The first month of 7th grade, the school nurse tagged me for a doctor's visit. She thought I might have scoliosis, something that the schools checked for back in 1979.
It turned out I needed surgery, but my mother was resistant to the idea. The doctor gave us the option of bed rest, but if that didn’t work, surgery was inevitable. My mother pulled me out of school in October. I didn’t return until 8th grade.
I consider this my Shamanic year. I was located two stories above the kitchen
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