Tough break, kid.

Ty, my five year old, has always been indestructible. Other parents cringe when Ty falls down, or takes a hit, assuming that he will be hurt. Instead, my little guy will stand up, say "I'm OK", and resume full speed play. I never worry about him getting hurt. Until now.

Saturday, I hired a neighbor kid to help me remove the wood shelving from my closet. We hauled a big, heavy set of shelves out to the back lawn. Ty grabbed a hammer and asked if he could destroy them. I said yes, and went back inside to get the next load, Ty happily pounding the shelves. Then we heard the screams.

When I got outside again, Ty was laying on the ground, clutching his right thigh. The shelves had fallen on him, and Mandy had dragged him out from under them. I pulled his pants off, and saw the classic signs of a femur fracture- the shortened thigh, externally rotated. I touched the thigh, and could feel the grinding of the bone fragments. A sick feeling welled up inside. I carefully picked up my son, and layed him on the back seat of the suburban. My helper for the day became my babysitter, and I drove him straight to my clinic. My prayers on the way were layered. "Please don't let it be broken. If it is broken, please don't let it be bad. If it is bad, please allow him to have a walking cast, not surgery or a spica cast. If it is surgery or a spica, please help me and Ty to cope with it."

Ty felt every bump in the road, and let out a wimper over each one, but bless his heart, he just toughed it out. His big concern was "Am I gonna get a shot?". When the x-rays, which you can see above, popped up onto the screen, I started to cry.

The Lord still watches out for my family. Dr. Wheaton, a gifted orthopedist, was in the clinic doing paperwork. He came down, peeked at Ty and arranged for anesthesia so he could be placed in the worst possible cast a five year old could ever have to endure. Becca came and sat with us while we waited for the OR crew to assemble, and I was allowed to be with Ty the whole time. Nate relieved my babysitter and he and the girls went to library to load up on books and videos for my now immobile boy. Becca arranged for several ladies in the ward to sew velcro into shorts and underwear to cover Ty's bottom half.

The poor kid will be in the cast for 5 weeks. The films after placement of the cast look really good-he should heal completely and do fine in the long run. He will not be able to stand, walk, swing, jump, wrestle, or any of the other main activities of his life. I feel for him. Yesterday, he sat on a chair in Becca's kitchen and longingly watched the other kids playing out in the backyard. It will be a long 5 weeks for the kid, and for his Dad. My layered prayer is being answered, with the help of friends and loved ones, we will cope with it.

A weight off my shoulders

Drew has asked me not to blog about him anymore, but I can't talk about what is going on with me without talking some about him. Without revealing details, Drew has been through some really tough times, and knowing what to do for him has been the toughest challenge I have faced as a parent. I have been praying for answers, and after a trial of faith, I believe they have come.

Bottom line, I don't think it is safe for Drew to live in Moses Lake for the time being. I have explored countless options- boy's ranches, wilderness programs, boarding school, living with out of state friends. All of them had drawbacks, none of them felt right. Most of my conversations with Nate, Brittany and Becca have all had to do with options regarding my third child.

Yesterday, Cynthia's sister Christina called, and asked if Drew could come live with her family in Chicago. It was a total surprise. As I reflected on it throughout the day, it felt better and better. Today Drew talked to her, and me, and loved the idea. I just purchased a plane ticket.


What amazes me is the relief I feel! Not that my son is leaving, but that I have a plan with a decent chance of success. I am so much happier today than yesterday. I feel so much lighter, so much relief.

This doesn't solve everything, he still has a lot of work to do.

Once again I am blown away by the kindness shown to me and my family. I have had so much done for me. So many people have offered to help out with this particular situation. I am so grateful. PLease keep my son in your prayers.

Intense Gratitude

This has been one of the best weeks of my life. I had looked forward to this week, my kids spring break, for months. I had scheduled the week off, and I had planned on doing a lot of work around the house, mingled with fun outings. Although Becca had her part time jobs to deal with, I was planning on getting in a ton of time with her.

In life, we can plan all we want, but then it comes down to what Heavenly Father has in store for us. Sunday afternoon, after a great meal at Becca's, I started having abdominal pain and chills. It just kept getting worse and worse. I tried to ignore it, but it became too intense. I ended up having Becca take me to the ER, where my friend and colleague Dr. Jim Irwin decided my gallbladder needed to come out- that night!

Friends were mobilized to watch kids, Ken and Monte came to give me a blessing, and Ken, above and beyond the call of duty, scrubbed in on the case (when he is not doing duty as my friend, he works as an OR nurse). They took me back by 7:30 pm.

I am told that my first words coming out of anasthesia were "Have you heard the one about the loon?" Apparently I do stand up when under the influence.

Becca stayed with me overnight. She cuddled in bed with me most of the time, and we talked non stop. What could have been a painful, lonely, disappointing night was one of the best ever.

My recovery has been stellar. I only took a few pain pills the first day, and have done great since. One of the hardest things for a physician to do is heed his or another doctor's advice. I have been really diligent in resting this week. I would have loved to get out and start yard work, continue decluttering my house, etc, but I have refrained.

My plans for the week were completely changed. Usually having my plans disrupted is a big downer to me. I did not get to remodel my closet, like planned. My yard is not up and running, as planned. Great things have happened though. I have been served by great friends, my kids had lots of bonding time with Becca (wedding is still on, in case you are wondering), and I feel so much better. I am so grateful that things turned out this way. What a great week!


PS- not at all related to my gallbladder, Nate has moved back home to finish his training here in Moses Lake. I am happy to have him and his help. He still intends to move to Utah later this summer.