"Before"

I figured it would be a good idea to upload a "before" picture to record how my knee/leg looked before the surgery. I think one of my primary reasons for wanting the surgery, aside from the obvious benefits of increased mobility and lack of pain, is that my leg definitely has a "deformed" look to it now. At first I didn't like using that word, deformed. It has such negative connotations sometimes. But in all honesty, that is what it is. I am pretty patient with the looks I get when I walk. I realize people have the natural tendency to look at people who are different, and I know that it is definitely noticeable that I walk "funny" and have a crooked leg. I'm tired of being patient and understanding with the looks I get from people. I want to be able to just blend in to the crowd again. I'm really hoping I get that normalcy back with this surgery. So here's a picture of me from a month or so ago. You can see that despite my attempts to stand as normal as possible, the bend in the knee is definitely noticeable.