On Friday, December 12th I headed for the warm beaches of southern California for my one-year follow up and the possibility of a treatment for my right hip that has been bugging me a lot.
I had the pleasure of spending the night with my ‘cousin’ Mary and enjoying an awesome 
visit reminiscing about growing up together in Anchorage. Mary was heading for Florida to celebrate Christmas and the New Year so we got up early on Saturday and set out for a tour of the LA harbor and her non-profit – Harbor Community Foundation, in Fin-Henri and then on to the airport where we said our goodbye’s.
After leaving Mary, I headed south and made a stop in Orange County to visit another friend, Donna. We spent a fun day visiting Downtown Disney and checking out the sites in her community of Buena Park. I feel so blessed to have such amazing friends who open their hearts and driveways for Fin/Henri and I.
On Sunday afternoon I headed for Oceanside, CA where I was scheduled to meet with my doctor on Monday for my follow-up and MRI. I arrived to see an amazing sunset and got the chance to walk on the beach and relax. What an awesome, amazing adventure I’ve had this winter with Fin/Henri.
On Monday I got an MRI on both hips and visited with my doctor. He was very pleased with my progress and recommended a Platelet Rich Therapy (where they draw your whole blood and then spin it to separate the red blood cells out and then use the platelets to help heal joints by injection) for my right hip which has been bothering me. The MRI showed marked improvement in my left hip but a tear in my right labrum and degeneration. I had the injection on Tuesday and then headed off to Santa Maria to enjoy Christmas with my girlfriend Merletta. Stay tuned for more adventures…