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Foot - HRH

Life Lessons Learned Along the Way: My Left Foot

05.06.22

By Harvey R. Heller

I have used this space to tell stories about who I am and to introduce you to our group. This one’s about me.

I’ve had a flat left foot my entire life. It means, essentially, no arch. In my case, less than zero. When I get out of a pool the imprint of my left foot on cement is literally a Rorschach that I’m sure discloses my many and diverse personality disorders, etc.  That’s another story, actually a book, for another time. 

When I was 11, a doctor suggested to my mother a surgical procedure during which an arch made of steel would be implanted in my foot. To this day I’ve never run so fast: didn’t wait for the elevator, down 10 flights of office building steps and out into traffic where I almost got run over. The subject was never raised again and that specific suggested procedure was later discredited. Mom said she knew it was a bad idea and would never have agreed to it. (Since she adored me, I know she would not have let that happen.)

So here we are decades later and I ran out of non-invasive remedies. If I walked more than a few blocks, I’d limp and wobble as if I had been drinking; and I hardly ever drink, let alone get out of control. The pain was literally eye-watering.

I had whatever the now-traditional surgical procedure is (no steel arch) and I am writing this on the evening of the very day it was performed. This current procedure, which I went into based on my immovable trust and confidence in my “docs,” was actually four in one. I can only tell you specifically that there was tendon work, the cutting and moving of my left heel, and the use of screws. 

I’ve got a pain pump, narcotics for pain, non narcotics for pain, etc. There is still pain, but, “no pain, no gain!”

And so the lesson: I faced my issue and dealt with it when I had no choice. I am grateful to work with some of the best doctors, and I can’t wait to walk without my brain always rushing to the constant pain in my left foot.  Thankfully, it made no difference that I waited other than, mercifully, medical science has advanced. 

Some have no choice when they must face big legal personal or business issues. They’ve run from it so long that it caught up with them or another forces it upon them at what is always the wrong time. 

We specialize in those kinds of problems and, for clients, your problems always come first and get addressed before they fester any more. Thankfully, our legal practice is far more advanced than shoving a steel arch in your foot, and we are here to address your issues before they worsen.

So there. I’ve shared my pain and feel better already!

I have reviewed this again, after the narcotics wore off, and I still approve this message!

In our next article this month, Jesse Roth discusses a recent class action decision that should help protect the Michigan business community from devastating outcomes.