Surprise in the Mail

In the last year and a half of my life, I've undergone two unsuccessful hip surgeries.  Now, before you get all "OMG what happened? You're so young" bullshit on me, let me give you the general feel for the situation: 


1) Yes I'm young, but it happens.
2) I'm that unlucky 2% of people where SOMETHING must go wrong with all things regarding my overall health
3) It sucks, but I'm having a 3rd hip surgery this July to HOPEFULLY fix it all back up so I can go do my thing.
4) I have no insurance, which sucks, but leads me to tell you this little story.....

So, after my last hip surgery was deemed a failure (by me and my doctor), we discussed shipping me out to Colorado to see the best of the best when it come to hip surgeries.  This guy's name is Marc Philippon.  Apparently this guy is super elite, as he does hip surgeries for PGA golfers, baseball stars, movie stars, porn stars, pretty much anyone that can afford him, or anyone that has insurance.  It's also my understanding that he is the guy that "created," if you will, the hip surgery I need done.  See, I need my labrum (on my hip) fixed, and more than fixed, I need it repaired.  Until this doctor, there was no such thing.  As I was doing some research on this doctor, I stumbled upon a recent article (recent as in just before the 2009 baseball season) where he had done a surgery on Alexander Rodriguez's (of the Yankees) hip.  


Now, I'm not a baseball fan in the sense that I know ANYONE who plays baseball unless they're mega famous and even the blind, deaf, and dumb know who they are.  So I decided to start watching baseball during this season to see how A-Rod was doing (I figured he'd not be playing at all).  To my surprise he was RUNNING!  This guy got fixed!  He was BETTER!  This was something I wanted for myself.  I felt SO cheated that this guy who gets busted for steroids is allowed to be able to run, but a 24 year old with big boobs, that I'm sure someone wants to see bounce, can't get fixed!  Well, sappy me started crying out of jealousy.  Anyway, I digress...


At the end of the season when the Yanks won, I wrote a letter to A-Rod.  The letter basically said:  I'm poor and can't afford surgery with the doctor you had surgery with, and I'm super jealous.  Keep doing what you're doing because it actually gives me hope that someday I won't be "gimptastic" and I'll be able to run and  bounce my boobs for all the world to see.  


Well, I call up the best friend and told her about my letter to A-Rod.  She sounded really surprised and said, "I wrote him too! I told him about you needing surgery with his doctor, that you had no insurance, that you were broke and in college, and that he should pay for your surgery."  (I LOVE MY BEST FRIEND!) LOL


Months go by......


I was going through the mail last week when I noticed an envelope hand addressed to me (clearly this wasn't a medical bill as I usually get in the mail!).  It was from some photography company in Los Angeles and it said "DO NOT BEND" very boldly on the front.  To my surprise, inside lay a little gem...


A-Rod sent me a hand autographed picture of himself.  That's right folks, hand autographed.  Not a stamp and not printed on, but signed with a silver Sharpie.  That could probably score me, what, $20 on e-bay?  Just enough to pay for the glass of ice water and the bag of peanuts on my flight to Colorado for a subsequent $100,000 surgery.