An all but forgotten award- and an unexpected boost.
Way back in 2019 I had a case study published in the BAPO connect magazine (British Association of Prosthetists and Orthotists). It was an unfortunate case of a Russian male model that jumped out of the window of a 3-storey building as it was on fire.
The resulting fractured heels were significantly helped two years later by some Podfo 3d printed foot orthoses I prescribed; I wrote up the explanation of the forces. BAPO awarded this best article in 2019. Orthotist colleagues were going to receive it on my behalf at the BAPO conference in May 2020. Of course, that conference was cancelled, and the award was pushed back to an almost forgotten memory. A conversation reminded me and led me to chase it up.
After getting in touch, BAPO packaged it and sent to me. My delighted reaction on opening the package was much greater than I anticipated.
This got me thinking why such a profound reaction, I was really pleased to get this handsome chunk of glass, but my reaction was greater than the parts.
I believe it’s because we've all been frozen in such a worrying and constrained environment that we've partly forgotten some of the things that help make life flow that bit easier.
We have seen people close to us become very ill and some have sadly died, colleagues have lost their jobs and we all have had that sense of clear and present danger. It’s a bit like a slow burning version of War of the Worlds with Tom cruise, an unexpected killer appears out of nowhere and next we are hiding in bunkers.
This pre pandemic pat on the back from BAPO made me realise that we are not just covid lock-down survivors. We are sum of our history, that includes every patient that we have helped, every accomplishment we have made, every mountain we climbed, each work project completed, plus our past transgressions.
Yes, there are signs of recovery and increased safety, but we have been without many of the things that we used to enjoy, like a holiday, a favourite sport, a drink with friends or time to catch up with like-minded professionals.
Until then, we should take time to reflect on and celebrate all our past achievements and remember our celebrations. Dig out those photo albums, remember your goals and what made you feel fulfilled and happy. It’s what made us who we are. It’s good to remember that we’ve achieved before and can go on to do more.
This glass award is see-through, but it helped me to see clearly beyond a mask covered time to an easier past and a brighter future. There are barriers to overcome, not least of which is the personal physical barriers we have all needed to erect, but for now, let’s remember and celebrate.