Injured Waxhaw officer

My wife tipped me off to this story (video at link).

WAXHAW, N.C. -- A Waxhaw police officer is recovering after he nearly lost use of his left leg during a training exercise about six weeks ago. With two surgeries to go and mounting medical bills, the law enforcement community as well as the community is stepping up to get Officer Richard Belk back on the force as quickly as possible

Belk says he was about a half-mile into a department training exercise when something felt a bit off.

"I had shin splints, which isn't that uncommon, so I continued the run,” he said. “(I) got done, tried to stretch it out and couldn't get it stretched out."

The cramping continued after Belk went home so he saw his doctor the next day. The doctor thought he might have a blood clot, so he referred Belk to an orthopedic specialist who had him in the emergency room as quickly as possible.

...

Six weeks and 10 surgeries later, Belk is on crutches. It turns out what he thought was shin splints was actually exertional compartment syndrome, so rare his doctors told him they'd only known of two documented cases in their careers.

Fellow officers have been donating sick leave. Details on how you can contribute involve a BBQ cook-off on Dec 20th, so it's a win-win for everyone.

To further help Belk with his medical expenses, the police and fire departments in Waxhaw are having a barbecue cook-off on Sunday, Dec. 20 in front of Old Firehouse Station 18 on the northeast corner of Main Street near the railroad tracks.

The cook-off runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. There's a $5 minimum donation per person.