“If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.”

-Gospel according to Matthew chapter 18: 8-9

Tom was unwell.

While on the outside he was the very picture of health, he was having weird symptoms and pains. Unexpected aches and flair ups caught him off guard and made him lose sleep. He’d be engaged in an activity and seemingly out of nowhere a throbbing pain would surge through his entire body. At first, he swore it was nothing and tried to push through, surely there was nothing wrong with him. After all, he was quite fit for a man his age and these were the sorts of symptoms someone much older than him would be experiencing.

But soon enough the pain became so great it was impossible to ignore. His friends told him to go to the doctor. Whatever was going on, if they caught it early enough maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. After all, you didn’t want to mess around with whatever this was.

After much hesitation and denial Tom finally did go to the doctor. It was a long visit and they made him take his clothes off and wear one of those drafty hospital gowns. They put Tom through a battery of assessments trying to determine the exact diagnosis.

It was uncomfortable and confusing. As he lay up on the cold table, having X-rays taken of his body, Tom thought to himself “Maybe I’m imagining all this.”

The doctor came back to the examination room a little while later, X-ray results in hand. He broke the news to Tom in a calm and professional manner. The good news was they had found the problem and would be able to do something about it. The bad news was, there was something seriously wrong that needed urgent medical attention.

The black and white results of the X-ray said it all – just above his right knee they found Tom had one solitary, racist bone in his body.

***

Many a shocked family member have declared about their loved one, “He didn’t have a single racist bone in his body!” They usually say this when they find out dad is a serial killer or footage from the annual Klan clambake leaks out, showing Uncle Bob having the time of his life. But Tom’s family couldn’t be in denial about it like that, for the diagnosis was so conclusive.

Tom was understandably nervous. Though the doctors were compelled by HIPPA to keep his information confidential, he still worried that someone would leak his Private Health Information. There was so much stigma attached to an illness like his. If his employers found out his diagnosis or that he was receiving treatment for this issue, surely they would fire him on the spot. But Tom was also strangely relieved. So many things from his past made sense now in light of his medical discovery and maybe he’d be able to get some relief from the pain he was experiencing.

Clearly, as the X-ray showed, the bone was broken. It was cracked down the middle, affecting the muscles and ligaments around it. By extension, the whole body was out of alignment and unwell. Some parts of the body were over compensating for the problem while others had atrophied from almost no use at all.

He had a major surgery and afterwards they casted the leg. He would have no use of this part until the healing process was finished. They offered to give him a neon green cast, but Tom chose a subtler color.

He limped and hobbled around the home and office for the next little while. Adjusting to life without use of this bone was unexpected: like taking a hot shower with a sunburn or trying to write with your left hand, one does not readily notice parts of their body until they’re gone.

After a seemingly interminable time period, the cast was able to come off. The bone was no longer broken, but the outside of the leg looked nasty. Tom hadn’t been able to wash his leg and little bits of crumbs and filth had accumulated inside the cast. There was dead skin and the mark from the surgeon’s incision. The leg had atrophied and was noticeably smaller and weaker than the other.

They sent him to a physical therapy clinic specializing in racist body parts. Patients there had a wide variety of symptoms – some were sick in their hands, others in their feet, hearts, eyes, ears, or brains. Every day for a long time Tom would do exercises to increase his range of motion and build strength back up. It was long and tedious, but there was a camaraderie amongst the patients and a lack of pretense. After all, a person could only find themselves at this clinic for one reason and they all had one goal – to get well enough to no longer need therapy.

Tom began to slowly feel better. His health and wellness increased day by day, and he was eventually able to resume the activities of normal life.

It can be frightening and shameful to admit you have a medical problem. But if you or someone you know are suffering from a racist bone in their body, seek immediate medical attention. Failure to do so in a timely fashion could result in worsening of symptoms, infection of others, or in chronic cases – death. A healthier future awaits and you don’t have to live permanently disabled. Doctors are standing by now for your free consultation.

Tom was Unwell