Details

So to start off, never comment on how well your children are playing together. Last Sunday night, Ronnie and I were just finishing up dinner at the kitchen table. All three of the kiddos were done and were playing so well in the living room. I remember, we commented on this. They were a little wound up, but all three were laughing and having fun.

Then, we heard the screech. Not a bloody murder-type scream, just a high-pitched screech. We went running to the living room. From the kitchen table, you can't see into the living room, but it's just around the corner. Thomas is crying pretty hard. Ronnie is embracing him and telling me his elbow is dislocated. I said, "I don't know what to do!" He told me to get on the computer and look it up. I decided to call my mom. A former nurse, she's been a wealth of information over the years, and much faster than Google! Thomas calmed down within like 30 seconds (really fast!), and we told him to keep his arm still like a statue, so we could get him to the hospital. Ronnie carried him to the truck and off they went. I wanted to be with him, but it was close to Gaby's bedtime (plus I hate bringing healthy kids to a sick ER), and I wasn't sure my emotions could handle this one. I was glad he was content and comforted by Daddy.

Thomas was triaged very quickly and Ronnie was keeping me posted by text. Needless to say, after the x-ray, we knew we had a very bad break. (You could tell things weren't in the right place after the accident, but with a long-sleeve shirt on, we couldn't tell just how bad.) When Ronnie was told not to let him have anything to eat or drink, he knew we were likely looking at a surgical situation.

Turns out the break was at the elbow end of the humerus. A clean break. From the x-ray I saw later, his arm was basically in two pieces. Truly, one of the worst breaks I've ever seen. It was also right at the growth plate, so if the arm wasn't reset just right, it wouldn't grow at all or in the wrong direction. There's also a lot of nerves and blood vessels at the elbow joint, so not something to mess with. Thankfully, he never lost feeling in his hand and was able to wiggle his fingers.

Two orthopedic surgeons at the base hospital did not feel they were qualified to do the surgery, so Thomas and Ronnie were transported by ambulance to a hospital downtown with a pediatric orthopedic surgeon. The plan was to do surgery that night. Unfortunately, the hospital didn't have any available OR space at times the surgeon was available until 11:00 the next morning. T and I spent a long night at the hospital. I slept a total of 1.5 hours on and off. But I was running on adrenaline, so I didn't really notice until about two days later.

Lots of details....Ronnie was able to join us the next morning after getting Clay to school and Gaby settled with our sitter. (Victoria, we love you and are so grateful for you! I know I tell you that all the time, but you'll truly never know how much you mean to us, especially at a time like this.) The surgeon spoke with us prior to the surgery and of course, had to tell us all the things that could go wrong. I was feeling really confident up to this point, but now I got really nervous. Only two doctors in all our area would be willing and capable of doing this surgery and he explained that you can really never put an elbow back the way God made it. Scary. To think of it growing this way or that way or him losing all feeling....scary. Of course, he said he'd do his best and we believed him and I liked that he has a 4 1/2 year old of his own. Somehow, I felt like he'd relate to T more.

The post-surgery x-ray he brought to us about an hour or so later was beautiful. His arm was in one piece and his elbow looked like an elbow again. Amazing. I was so grateful. Felt like hugging this complete stranger, but I shook his hand instead. Four metal pins inserted from the outside into the bone to hold things in place and a full-arm cast to protect--that's what we got back with our precious kiddo in the recovery room.

He was crying hard when they brought us back to see him in recovery. The first time he cried since the fall the night before. The kid is seriously tough as nails! I kind of knew that about him, but still to weather this in the way he did, it was truly most impressive.

In the days after, I was talking with my mother-in-law and she asked how I was doing. I told her I was physically and emotionally exhausted, but spiritually, very high. Does that sound weird? Truly, I'm still in awe of how God worked out every single detail of this. After Ronnie and Thomas left for the hospital, Clayton and I began praying and one of the first things I prayed for was that Thomas would be hooked up with just the right doctor. When the doctors at the base declined to do the surgery, I was grateful. They could have proceeded ahead and done it. They said they could, they just weren't the best to do it. That was just the first answered prayer, followed by many many more, leading to the magnificent healing we've witnessed so far. Within 24 hours of the surgery, he was smiling a bit, and by day two, he was pretty much his old self. A miracle to this Mama.

Some photos follow. They were all taken by cell phone. The first couple are with Ronnie's phone and the later few, with mine, which clearly does not take very good photos. Wasn't thinking to pack the camera with me for the late-night rush to the hospital. He's been a dream patient and I'm just so honored to be his Mom.

Oh, two other things....yes, he's right-handed and depending on who you ask, he either just fell off the couch from a fort he started to make or according to Clay, he jumped off. Still, you'd have thought he fell from the sky with the severity of the injury. Crazy. Oh, this ride of parenthood.

Right after the IV was put in. He never cried!



Ambulance ride!



Sleeping. Awaiting surgery Monday morning.



Sleeping. Post-surgery.



Back home. Two days after surgery. Thumbs-up was all his idea! I love it!



First left-handed meal.



Thank you, all, for your love, support, and prayers. We are grateful.

God, I'm not sure how to thank you. I'm glad you can "read" my heart. You know. I love you.