74 Year Old Finishes Strong

74 Year Old Finishes Strong

I have been a tournament tennis player since I was 12 years old. In 1996 I won the 60 and over Texas Sectional Tennis Tournament and won 3rd in the National inter-sectional tournament in doubles. In 2006 when I decided to bike ride in the Hill Country Ride for AIDS (my first bike ride ever), I discovered I could not get on the bike! My hips were in such bad shape it was impossible to ride a bike. I tried fro 3 years every non-surgical alternative treatment, but nothing worked. In Nov 2009 at age 73 I underwent "non-invasive total bilateral hip replacement." Yes, both hips replaced at the same time. None of the Doctors, nurses, or rehab folks had ever heard of anyone my age having both hips replaced at the same time. The day after surgery I was walking down the hall with a walker. A day later I went to in-patient rehab. A week later I walked out of rehab. After the day of the surgery I had no need of any pain medication of any kind. One month after surgery I was back on the tennis courts working out and three months after surgery I won my first competitive doubles match in three and one half years. Six months after surgery I rode the 10 mile course in just under one hour in the Hill Country Ride for AIDS. Throughout 2010 I continued to win tennis doubles matches and competed once again in the Texas state ranking tournament. It was my first big tournament after surgery. In April 2011 I completed the 24 mile course in 20 MPH wind in the Autism Ride. At the end of April I will once again ride in the Hill Country Ride for AIDS, and in May will play in the 75 and over division of the Texas Sectional Tennis Doubles Tournament. I am back and on my way. Throughout, I had to set the bar higher than anyone including the doctors, nurses, and PT folks, everyone except my wife of over 50 years who believed in me and encouraged me all along the way. A strong Shaklee nutritional program for over 35 years plus a deliberate pre-hab training routine and a can/will do [Finish Strong] attitude has led me all the way back.