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A New Pair of (Medical) Boots

January 26th, 2015 aecase18

It’s a common mantra at Holy Cross: the “freshman fifteen” doesn’t exist. This, of course, is due to the intense leg workout required just to travel from Kimball to your dorm. The hills here are steep, the calf muscles defined. It’s not uncommon for even the fittest of athletes to lose their breath on the trek up to the Hart Center. And anyone who has been off-campus knows the hilarious struggle of trying to walk up Boyden or College Street.

But what if you get injured?

A few days before Christmas, I had surgery on both of my legs for a running injury I developed over the summer. When my surgeon, a funny and quick-witted doctor with a thick South African accent, told me I’d have to walk with medical boots and crutches for six weeks, all I could think about were the steep, snow-covered hills of Holy Cross and how I could possibly manage them with all that hardware. When I told him my dilemma, he shrugged and laughed. “Not the best school for your situation!” he replied.

My surgery thankfully went well and I spent my break quietly recovering in Florida and Pennsylvania. I arrived back on campus to confused stares, sympathetic “What happened?”‘s, and, from my close friends, uncontainable laughter. I’ll be the first to admit, it’s a pretty funny sight watching me attempt to trek down Easy Street on crutches. They’ve even given me the affectionate nickname “Boots”.

My latest accessories

My latest accessories

And so, while I am faced with (literally) insurmountable odds of crawling up and down Mt. Saint James, the Office of Public Safety has been helping me tremendously. For two weeks, I’m getting driven to class by the hard-working Public Safety officers. I’m not the only one who utilizes this service- all students recovering from sports and leg injuries (being a school with an affinity for skiing, there are a lot!) are driven to prevent further injury. A big plus: no walking through snowstorms!

The experience has also shown me how thoughtful and close-knit Holy Cross students are. My friends and neighbors have looked out for me, and throughout break I received calls asking how I was doing. Thanks for checking up on me, Holy Cross friends!

And so, even with the most precarious of injuries or disabilities, you can still attend Holy Cross and not have to worry about conquering the Hill.

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Amy Casey '18

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Former Blogger