This week has been very interesting. Oftentimes in life people are faced with stressful situations that just seem to escalate. I was talking with my brother the other day and he mentioned how as soon as you relax in life, that’s when life turns around and kicks you in the behind.
It’s been a tough couple weeks here at the paper. My mother broke her heel and foot and has to have surgery. She can’t put any weight on it. The doctor said she literally has to sit and essentially do nothing. Without her here working at the paper every day, things have been a little more strained.
With all that said, I should get to the story about that day. Last Thursday, I was working here at the Star with my aunt. At twenty after four I got a call from Mom. She was panting and her voice sounded different than it ever has before. It sounded like she said she was lying outside in the cold after she fell off the ladder. I said I would be right there and Teresa and I were out the door.
It didn’t take long to get there. I wasn’t sure what to expect once we got there. I pulled up right to the house and noticed the ladder on the ground with Mom nowhere to be seen. We ran in the house and there she was, lying on the couch with her foot up. I was just relieved her foot was turned around and sideways. I could handle this situation, I’m not sure about the alternative.
I went to pick her up and she said, “No you can’t do that. You can’t lift me.” As I’m picking her up to carry her to the vehicle. Getting her through the doorway was a little tricky, but we got her there. Once out the door I carried her to the vehicle and we got her in the back seat stretched out. Teresa had grabbed a pillow and blanket when we went out. I ran back to get another pillow and grab Mom something to drink. I also had to turn off the TV because Mom always used to hound us not to waste electricity.
We got to the hospital a little before 5:00 p.m. in Waseca. The drive was a little stressful. We jumped a gravel intersection and almost got hit in town when a red truck ran a stop sign. That was one of the only times I have ever honked at someone. If I hadn’t been on high alert and looking for something stupid to happen we would have been hit. I saw him coming and he didn’t even slow down, ran the stop sign and turned right in front of us. I can still remember the look on his face. It looked like he didn’t understand what he did.
The total time from when I left the Star Eagle to the hospital room with Mom took about 40 minutes. Mom told me not to speed, but I have never seen someone in that much pain. They gave her morphine right away and must have given her eight or nine shots by the time we went home. The doctor said she broke her heel and one other small bone. They said she didn’t need surgery, but they needed a follow-up a week later.
Fast forward a week to another doctor visit. The doctor in Mankato said that without surgery she would never walk again. He said that the surgery would be this Monday and that it would take three hours to complete. The procedure would involve a plate and 12 screws to put her foot back together with a recovery time of 11 weeks.
Jump to Monday. The surgery took seven hours to complete, and a total of five broken bones were reconstructed. Her new recovery time is approximately six months. To this point I am very grateful for all the help our family and her boyfriend have lended. It hasn’t been easy and I know the struggles will continue, but she is okay and I am very grateful she has made it through this process as well as she has. As she recovers I will try and mention her progress going forwards.
Thought for the day: Be grateful for what you have and do not regret the things you don’t.