Unbreakable?

I have a friend who is a sports fan, who played football (quarterback) and baseball (right outfield) in his youth. Although he doesn't actively play those anymore as an adult, he passionately follows both sports and keeps track of others. Even though I am a casual sports fan, I watch ESPN highlights enough and pay attention to news updates. That disposition enables me to have an engaging conversation with him.

My impression is that he has always done things to be active; he runs or swims during the week in his lunch hour, for example. Doing them is part of his routine.

So during a recent chat about sports stuff, I asked if he has ever been injured or had to go to surgery or some other medical procedure. He said "no" except for a tendinitis once, but overall, he said that he's pretty much "unbreakable," except...

About a month ago, he had a splinter lodged in his thumbnail. I initially saw the blood spot under the band aid. He then told me about the subsequent throbbing and infection that he had to treat with hydrogen peroxide. It took a few days before he finally removed the last of the splinter. I could tell that he was very relieved after that. A thumb-up for a splinter-free thumbnail.

And that's pretty much the extent of physical injury that he remembers having.

He said he has never even sprained an ankle.

I have sprained my ankle in my lifetime more times than I can count.

I suppose some people are more injury-prone than others.

I think being unbreakable is an illusion. Injuries are seen and unseen, and some just heal more quickly than others.

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Update, 7/5/09

He must have forgotten to mention it when we had this talk a few weeks ago but I learned that he had appendicitis years ago in his teens and consequently had to have his appendix removed via surgery, before he even began to play football. He said that he "almost died" since by the time the appendix was removed, it already burst. He has obviously recovered and lives to tell.