Elephant Scientist

An Elephant Scientist. Yup, that was the ‘best’ answer I heard last week when 50 boys between the ages 4-6 were asked what they wanted to be when they grew up. The boys were attending a Beaver’s Sleep Over event with their parents. The process of finding out what these kids dreamt of becoming was wonderful and reminded me to keep my mind open to all of life’s possibilities.

I never know when inspiration will hit or what triggers it but there are certainly moments that guide our lives down paths we never expected. As I’m now committed to the path of rehab, I’m looking for what opportunities will arise, what will be the next thing to change the course of my life. Who knows, perhaps I’m destined to be an elephant scientist…although I plan to win a few more World Cup Medals before that happens!

Olympic Update:

Although I won’t be competing in the Olympics I will be participating from a different perspective. I will be working with CTV as their Alpine correspondent going over what happened that day and what to expect in upcoming events. I will be a part of the afternoon and evening shows that highlight and update the days’ activities. I’ll be working with Michael Landsberg during the day and Jennifer Hedger during the evening show. I’ll slot into the shows when it fits and likely have about 5 to 10min of air time twice a day. I’m very excited about this opportunity and look forward to learning. Although I’m nervous since this is out of my element (I prefer have two boards strapped to my legs going 130k/h) I do look forward to embracing this incredible opportunity.

Degree Watch:

Drum Roll Please….(this sounds so much better in my head)…….53 degree of flexion!!! Two weeks ago I was at 25 degrees so I’m extremely happy with the progress. I have a long way to go before I’ll reach my goal of heal to butt, but at least I’m making progress and this keeps me motivated through the long and often painful exercises.

Articles:

Below is an image of the article the Globe and Mail did updating their readers on my progress. I’m continually shocked to see the exposure I’ve been getting since my injury. Of my last 4 physio appointments I have had media in attendance for 3 of them: CBC, CTV and a local paper. Having this kind of interest and support has helped me realize how many Canadians care about me and follow my career. I can think of no better motivation as I make my way back to the hill.

This was a nice Q&A that was done prior to my injury. I thought you may like to check it out:

http://canski.org/kelly-vanderbeek-qaa

Thoughts:

As I’m now preparing for the games as; Team Canada’s #1 Fan; TV personality (I’m not sure I’m quite a personality yet but hey, I just may be crazy enough to fit the title); Corporate hostess; etc. I’m learning that I love more than ever what sport brings out in people, organizations, communities, and in a Nation. Chilliwack, my community, is preparing for the Torches arrival here on February 7^th. I can feel the buzz and the excitement as the Games near.

Yes, the Games is a two week plethora of sporting excellence, but it’s also so much more. It has a quality about it that brings people together, connecting us in ways that few things can. Although I will not be competing at these Games, I am still honoured to be a part of this event that will indelibly mark Canada’s history and that will touch millions of people’s hearts in ways we can only imagine.

Till next time,

Kelly

I let my knee rest in a streched position using this wedge to help increase it’s range of motion.

The scars are healing well. In this image you can see the two largest of the six scares.

I haven’t taken many pictures (since I can’t move or get around much) but I am practicing and learning a lot about my equipment and photo software. David’s Dad, Gary, stayed with me for a week helping me get around and do my exercises. He also is an avid photographer so I learned a lot during his stay.

2.5 Weeks Post Op

There have been some rather ironic things that have happened since my knee injury. One such instance was when we had two items delivered to our home at the same time. One item was the Olympic tickets I’d purchased to my events and the other was my ice machine to help rehab my knee. It’s moments like these that give me pause. I’m on a new path and fully committed to my rehab, but my Olympic passion and spirit still burns strongly inside me. That part of me is still adjusting to my new reality and learning to let go of a dream I held so close to my heart for so long. This emotional wound will take a while to heal but I still love my life and feel like one of the luckiest people alive. (An odd contradiction in these unlucky times) But, this is how I know I’ll be just fine and I look forward to the new and different opportunities that I’ll have over the next 8 months of rehab.

Torch Update:

Teck, my title sponsor, has just told me that they have purchased my Torch on my behalf so that I may have this keepsake forever. I was so touched by their generosity and the symbolism that this gesture took. Truly an exceptional organization and one that I’m proud to represent.

Introducing….drum roll please….‘Degree Watch’:

What’s this? Well, degree watch is my new measuring tool of my knee’s progress. The number of degrees I reach is how far I’m able to bend my knee. To help explain, my leg totally straight considered zero degrees. My goal is to be able to bend my knee so my heel touches my butt – this goal is just shy of 180 degrees.

So, current Degree Watch progress sits at 25 degrees. A long way to go, but at least I’m now working at it.

For the next 3 to 4 weeks I’m only allowed to bend my knee while lying flat on my stomach. This is a position where my PCL is most protected. I’m doing this work 3 times a day with the help of a physio or David (I’m sure David didn’t read that part in the fine print when we got married). David and my family while I was in Ontario have all been amazing and vital help in all I do – I can’t thank them all enough.

New Hobbies:

As you can imagine, I have lots of time on my hands. (Although it’s not nearly as much as I expected since request have been pouring in as our country is in Olympic Fever…..my favourite kind of fever!) So, what’s keeping me busy? Well, I’ve been a long time photography buff at heart and I finally jumped in and bought myself a great SLR camera. I had some old lenses and equipment from when I jumped in as a teenager (but this was pre-digital so it’s mostly just been collecting dust). I’m now all set up and learning SO much. It’s been wonderful to get back to this passion of mine.

I’m also working towards improving my German. Although I have to admit…I’ve been procrastinating about working on this. I will though, in my sport having French, English and German would be amazing!

Till next time,

Kelly





ET Canada came to my Parents’ house in Kitchener to shoot a piece that will air in early February.








The knee is healing well from the surgery and is on track with expectations. Where I’ll struggle the most will be with flexion since I’m having to keep it straight for so long. In the picture beside you can see where the three incisions were made, there are also three arthroscopic incisions on the other side of the knee.

Post Op

Well, I hope I can now truly say that the worst part is behind me. Although I know recovery will be grueling and often painful, I’m hopeful that the hardest and most painful parts are in the past.

The Surgery

The surgery went well and in my opinion it was a huge success. I say this because my knee was downgraded from a fairly catastrophic knee to a bad knee. In my opinion, this is great news! They left the IT Band to re-attach on its own, the fracture was well lined up and will also heal on its own, and they repaired my MCL and my PCL. My LCL and my ACL were both strong enough that they left them intact! The surgery was still 3.5 hours in length – this is because two ligaments still take a long time but also because the PCL is so hard to get to and hard to fix. I woke up an hour after surgery freezing with my teeth clattering away. As soon as I saw Dr. Litchfield who did my surgery the first thing I asked was how many ligaments did they have to fix. When he told me it was only two instead of the possible 3 or 4 I was told earlier, I was so happy!

The Following Week

The day after the surgery I was in rough shape. I didn’t expect it to hurt so much and struggled with the pain that first morning. We were able to ‘catch’ up to the pain after about 6 hours and then I was more comfortable and started to improve with each day. I spent 3 days and 2 nights in the hospital. I hope I won’t have to go back anytime soon. However, I was treated extremely well and I have to say that good nurses make ALL the difference. Wow, they can truly be a godsend.

Once back from the hospital (on a drive that made me feel rather nauseous) I did a lot of sleeping in the first few days – averaging 16hours/day. I’m now staying awake more and getting more energy with each day. My appetite since falling has been rather small but after the surgery it took me about 4 days to get back to more normal eating. Since the fall I’ve lost around 15lbs – a shocking amount of weight to me…although I guess my leg’s muscles probably weighed something in that category.

Surprise Visit

On Thursday night a huge crowd who’d walked from Chicopee Ski Hill surprised me on my parents’ doorstep. When I got to the door they broke out singing O Canada. I was extremely emotion at this show of support and hearing the anthem – I had hoped I’d be singing it in Vancouver.

Here is a link to that story which was covered by CTV:

http://swo.ctv.ca/news.php?id=6548&PHPSESSID=f8f4f91bc1df6d238ec2fd9f9306681c

Franklin School Visit

On Friday morning I visited my old school who’d adopted me for these Olympics. This too was an amazing event and so wonderful to see all these kids…and even a few teachers who I’d worked with when I was a student there. There were about 500 kids awaiting me cheering a chant they’d made up! It was great to be there and let them know that I will come back from this. CTV and ET Canada were both in attendance so it was quite the show - even though it was a short talk since I’m still not up for too much just yet.

http://swo.ctv.ca/news.php?id=6549&PHPSESSID=f8f4f91bc1df6d238ec2fd9f9306681c

Torch Relay Update

I have the information for when I’ll be running (or wheeling) the Torch in Vancouver on February 9^th:

Community:	New Westminster
You will be carrying the Olympic Flame for a distance of approximately 300 metres. Your segment details are:	Starting along: 8th Ave
	From: Moody Park Arena
	To: 5th St
	On: 8th Ave
Approximate time of your segment:	10:55 AM PST

I’d love to see some of you there is it works out with your schedules!

Many Smiles,

Kelly