NICK CLARKE | OPEN CASKET

Written by Nick Clarke: For most of my career I have been riding with a vertically torn patellar tendon. Being a typical stubborn man about going to the hospital, I never got it checked out, instead just took an Advil for the pain and continued to ride anyway. Over the years that tear spread with each kneel for construction work or a slam to the concrete while riding. All it took was one slam on December 21, 2019 which would change my life forever. This pain had me thinking it was only a dislocated knee cap but would turn out to be a fully ruptured patellar tendon and reticulum. All that connected my kneecap to my lower leg had pulled from the bone and sent it into my quad. An expected quick pop back into place would turn into 5 days in the hospital on standby for emergency surgery. After days of no food and water, on Christmas Eve at 4:20pm I added a 17 inch scar unwanted knee replacement to my right leg. Besides the unbearable pain that came along with this injury, we also had COV