“When nothing seems to help, I go and look at a stonecutter hammering away at his rock, perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred and first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not that last blow that did it, but all that had gone before.”
Jacob A. Riis

This quote about perseverance was Kobe Bryant‘s backdrop in the Lakers locker room last night, as dozens of reporters asked him about his injury during the final minutes of the game – which unfortunately has turned out to be a completely torn Achilles’ tendon.

@KobeBryant posted this Instagram pic an hour ago.

Mom was just saying a couple weeks ago that Kobe was going to keep playing through every injury until he was a puddle on the floor and they had to scrape him off the court with a spatula.

Well, that’s what happened last night. Except that he walked off the court with a crazy painful achilles tendon injury that would have had anyone else carried off. Then walked back on and shot two free throws so they’d win the game, then walked off again. He scraped himself off the floor.

He’s already in surgery today with an expected 6-9 month minimum recovery time.

I have faith that he’ll be back on the court, though. I was a puddle on the floor, literally, paralyzed on the floor in the closet six years ago – the long anticipated result of my ’95 fall from an 80′ palm tree. Mom and Dad thought that was it. That they’d have to put me down. It was awful.

But Dr. Patrick Mahaney suggested they give a kitty neurologist a shot first. They did, she put me on some meds and we all refused to give up. After a few days I was walking again, though I never regained the feeling in my tail, which follows me around like a mop, and I’ve been quasi-incontinent ever since, which is why I wear pants.

Man pants model for 6 years and counting… These are my favorite black jeans.

As my readers know, I’m 19, I have a hitch in my giddy-up and have to wear pants whenever I leave my room. I’m hyper thyroid and take pills ground into my food every day, and Mom and Dad give me fluids a few times a month. I’m down to a few teeth and lying down takes a minute, but I’m still here. I’m still happy and I’m still scrappy.

I run (albeit a funny site with my odd gait and my black jeans), eat and drink (I just discovered a love of pork ribs), love wandering around the balcony at night, and jump in and out of the tub to drink from the faucet every day.

I’ve never given up, and I know Kobe won’t either. Lakers Nation and the #LakersFam will never give up on Kobe, though our hearts do ache for him right now.

We love you, Kobe, and know you’ll work harder to heal faster than anyone ever. You’ll be an inspiration even in your recovery. You’ll coach your bros thru every game till you’re back on the court – & we’ll all be counting the minutes till you play again, when we can cheer you on, just like we have every game, no matter what. We’ll never give up on you, Kobe. You’ve taught us you can do more than seems possible, and that we can, too.

Even 19 year old cats like me.

Love you, man. ♥
Get some rest!

Cokes
=^..^=

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