Hoop Dreams

It hurts to sit down and to stand up. It hurts to walk. It hurts to raise my arms over my head. And it hurts to stretch my shoulders. Ah, bliss.

That dull but very noticeable pain that has taken over most of my major muscle groups has been long overdue. Exhausted and growing muscles, welcome back. The workouts so far have been challenging and invigorating. I'm not as strong as I used to be, that's for sure, but I'm getting back on track and starting to feel stronger and healthier by the hour. 

And as if getting back to the gym didn't provide enough excitement, I've got a new goal in mind: to play with my O'Melveny teammates in our basketball game on April 18th.

My last game was just a few days before I checked myself into the hospital in mid-September of last year. I remember the game vividly. I wasn't feeling too fabulous, but I was excited to play. My stomach felt unusually heavy and waterlogged, which was probably because I had a huge tumor in my colon that was blocking almost everything from getting past it. Still, I shot the ball beautifully and it felt amazing. At one point, I stole the ball and took off down the court, looking for an open layup. That wouldn't happen because the girl I stole the ball from decided to foul me. On the stomach. With both hands. I gritted my teeth through the pain and managed to make one of my two foul shots, but I realized in that moment that something was very, very wrong with me. The rest of the game went fine -- I lugged my belly up and down the court and managed to make a few more shots, but that game would be the last of my season -- and the last of the year. And the last game I've played in over 6 months.

I've missed it a lot -- the feeling of competing in a game setting, working hard on every play and trying your best to help your team win. Getting back on the court has been my goal for months and months, and I think I'm finally at a place where I can circle a date on my calendar and make it happen.

It's going to take some serious cardio in addition to my weight lifting. And I won't push myself if I don't think I can handle it. But with a little luck and a lot of effort, I'll be making my return to hoops in about a week and a half. If I am able to play on the 18th, I can't tell you how happy I'm going to be. Another little miracle in a series of big and small miracles.

Watch out, players on the other team. WunderGlo is coming for you.