As a journalist, you never want to be the story. However, some major life events are just too important not to share with your readers.
A few weeks ago, New York Post sports columnist Mike Vaccaro wrote about his continuing comeback from below-the-knee amputation.
This came as news to many. It was the first time he had revealed the details of his recovery since having surgery in August due to health complications.
Awful Announcing caught up with Vaccaro, 56, to discuss his triumphant return.
What kind of feedback have you received?
“It has been overwhelming. The reaction has been incredible. I’ve gotten heartfelt replies, people encouraging me, and thanking me for sharing the story. But the really satisfying ones have come from people who are either going through this, have gone through it, or have a family member going through it. It was almost universally said that it was encouraging to hear someone talk about the other side. Once you go through the work and rehab, there is a better life for you.”
Why did you decide to tell this story?
“We all have things we go through in life, and when they happen we think ‘Oh my God. My life is never going to be the same.’ I was able to reach out to friends and people I knew who had gone through this procedure before. Suddenly, it didn’t seem like such a dark, scary place. I thought it was important that these readers who have been with me for 20 years were made aware of this difference in my life.”
Was writing about it therapeutic for you?
“Therapeutic is the right word. Plus, I was able to go back and talk to a lot of people who helped me when I was in inpatient rehab. That was really therapeutic too, getting all those people in the same room. There are so many people who have helped me over these months. Being able to offer thanks was important.”
When you were first told about amputation, what ran through your mind?
“You figure your life is over. I was lucky because I had a podiatrist who two weeks before (the official diagnosis) said ‘This is something you might want to think about long term.’ And he wasn’t talking about doing it in a couple of weeks, but circumstances dictated that that was the way it happened. But he just wanted me to get to a mindset that if you ever think about this, it’s not the end of the world and it might actually help you. So when the doctor gave the diagnosis that they had to amputate, it wasn’t a shock.”
What kind of symptoms led you to that point?
“I played basketball my whole life. I probably sprained my ankles 25-to-30 times. I never rehabbed them properly. For years, I had foot pain, leg pain, and knee pain. I had arthritis in both knees and my ankles were getting weaker and weaker. A year before the procedure, my overall leg health just deteriorated. I had a staph infection last spring. I tripped and fell. Right after that, I developed Charcot, which is ultimately what doomed my left foot. All the cartilage, bones, and ligaments in my ankle basically vanished.”
What is it like waking up without a leg?
“It’s depressing. You feel sorry for yourself. You’re immediately very envious. Your doctors and your wife are walking into your room. They’re able to walk. No one ever thinks about the miracle of walking until you can no longer walk. I was lucky because (that feeling) didn’t last long. It lasted maybe an hour. Then I was ready to get better.”
How has rehab been?
“The very first time I got up on one leg on the parallel bars to stand, it was terrifying… But it’s more of a mental thing. It’s also a great mental challenge. Every day it’s ‘Well, I didn’t do this yesterday. Now I can do this today.’ Small steps and small victories allow you to win in rehab.”
Why did you play golf a few weeks ago to celebrate your progress?
“I’ve played golf for 40 years. Walking is good therapy for me. Golf made the most sense. It was something I knew I would be able to do. It was something that my doctors and therapists said was a reasonable goal. I played with two buddies: Ian O’Connor who used to work at the Post and Rob Ricco. We played a 3-man scramble.”
You cover a lot of high-profile sports figures in New York City. Did you hear from anyone of them during all this?
“All the baseball people after my surgery last year reached out to me which was very nice. I have good professional relationships with all of them. But sometimes it’s nice to be reminded that they know you’re a human being. I had my surgery on a Tuesday and by Thursday I had heard from Buck Showalter, Billy Eppler, Brian Cashman, and Aaron Boone. They all either reached out by text, left a voicemail, or talked to me on the phone. That was a big deal.”
Image Credit: New York Post Sports
