On Saturday, right before we went to see Wicked, I missed a bunch of calls on my phone. I knew that it could not be good, since all my family knew that I was in Boise for the weekend.
Saturday morning, while Tracy brought Dawson to his soccer game (he made his first goal ever) she received a call from my Dad that my Mom was in a bicycle accident during her race over in Rupert/Burley area. It was bad. What made it worse was that we were not there.
My dad and mom on their bike!
The story of what happened:It was windy that day. When it is windy, bike riders 'draft' where they go in a single line and take turns at the front. This is an example of streaming.
That was what they were doing this morning. One of the riders put on the brakes. The next rider braked. My Mom didn't have the time to brake. 15 miles an hour --- tire to tire --- you get the idea. She went down hard right on her knee. The riders around her got help. She went to Minidoka Hospital in Rupert.
Could you imagine something worse than being in a rural hospital? That sounds scary. A few x-rays later, they found out her knee was shattered ... and a broken thumb.
4 1/2 hour surgery later, she was a proud new owner of a 16 inch incision, 2 plates, 14 screws, and a bone graft in her left knee. She also had to have 2 pins/screws in her thumb. The surgery was just the beginning. She is non-weight bearing for 3 months (a walker) and in crutches for 3 months after that.
The tender mercies of the Lord:
I have been touched on how many tender mercies that we are constantly given. This accident was no exception.
First, the people that surrounded her were her friend Lisa, who is an RN, a very tall big man, who is an RN, and an EMT. Because of their knowledge, they did everything right.
Second, one of my Dad's friends and fellow riders showed up late. He had managed to make it to their group and needed to rest before going on. The second the accident happened, he called my dad. My Dad didn't answer, so he was able to bike like I'm sure he never had before and reach my Dad to tell him that my Mom was in an accident. Otherwise, it may have been hours longer before he found her.
Third, when my Mom met the surgeon, she felt peace overwhelm her. After the surgery, she found out that the surgeon's specialty is trauma orthopedic surgery. He has great experience and was on rotation from Cassia Regional Medical Center in Burley.
Fourth, the anesthesiologist was on rotation from Pocatello and is a long time friend of my Mom and was able to help my Dad give her a blessing.
I do not believe that any of this was a coincidence. My Mom had the best care possible. All of the staff were LDS and that was a comfort to her. There were so many that stopped to see my parents and see how they were doing who did not even know them. They gave the family of their friends in Pocatello. Sometimes the Lord has something that he wants us to learn.
My Mom continues to amaze me. She is getting around slowly, but surely and doing more and more each day. As an independent person, and is asking for help and letting others help and serve her. We have both been following this blog and it gives us courage to do hard things. That is my Mom's new mantra: "I can do hard things."
No comments:
Post a Comment