It was December 27, 1997, and I was hosting a Christmas party for the Denton family in our new (not yet properly heated) house. Because the house wasn’t yet ready, we were still living in a trailer on the property. My urge (I blame my mother) to document the festivities for prosperity led me to retrieve our fairly new video camera from the trailer. On my way out of the trailer, I bounded down the steps. There were just three steps.

But somehow, my foot didn’t stay under me. Instead it turned, and I landed sideways on my ankle. I heard the bone snap.

I screamed for help, but inside the house were my mother and both my sisters plus their offspring. It wasn’t quiet in there by anymeans. (My youngest brother was there too, but he is a quiet guy.) My husband, however, heard my screams and came running.

I was on pain pills for a week at home and then right after the new year, I spent four days in the hospital after surgery. Three screws were inserted into my ankle, and my doctor predicted I would never run again.

I was the mother of three children, including a 7-month old, and I was on crutches from January until late April 1998. I had to go through rehabilitation, and I never trusted my right ankle again.

My ankle has never been right again. It is fatter than my left ankle as if it is still swollen. The broken ankle left me with a limp. At first, I limped for just the first step of the day. Once that first step ironed out the kinks, I could walk normal for the rest of the day.

But as time passed, the number of steps it takes for me to walk normal has lengthened well beyond one. I also notice my ankle acts up in cold damp weather and when I’m tired.

Since the initial surgery, I’ve had two more surgeries, and I know I will have more in the future. The second surgery removed two of the three screws. The third surgery that I demanded, removed the final screw and a bunch of scar tissue that had formed along the front of my ankle prohibiting movement and bends in that direction.

It didn’t take long for that scar tissue to form again.

I no longer trusted my right ankle. When I tried to learn downhill skiing, I kept veering off in one direction because I subconsciously refused to place equal weight on both feet.

It has been over 10 years since I broke my ankle. In the last year or two, I have started having severe pain on occasion.

My ankle is one reason I want to lose weight, but it is also one of the biggest barriers from me doing so.

But in the last week and a half, I have been doing some Wii Fit exercises every single day. It averages out to over a half hour a day.I learned that my center of balance is pretty dead on. For the day to day stuff, I do balance my weight evenly between the two ankles, but I still hate relying solely on my right ankle and that showed in my results.

On the first day, I couldn’t balance on my right foot for anywhere close to the time the game expected me to. My ankle wasn’t strong enough. But I’ve continued to work out, and I take time to do the yoga move “Palm tree,” every day, which is meant to help strengthen ankles.

I’m getting results. I can stand longer on my right ankle. It still isn’t steady, but it is steadier.

And on Day 10, there was a pop, and a snap, and a crackle. It started during my workout. As I stepped on and off the Wii Fit board, my right ankle cracked. But the cracking continued as I went about my day. I would be walking or bending or turning, and my ankle would crack. Sometimes, I would just be standing and shift my weight, and I would hear a crack.

To me, it means my ankle is getting stronger and growing more flexible. I am loosening the stiff tissues that encase my ankle bone, and I think it can only improve from here.

Linda's actual right foot. The scarring is much easier to see in real life. You'll find them on the outer and inner side of her ankle as well as towards the front on both sides. All in all, about five long thin scars grace this still large ankle.