Broken Bones
Robin and I raised 6 sons. We weathered many accidents along the way. We learned that we needed to buckle up for the unexpected and be ready to pivot. One of the toughest was with our fourth son, Johnie.
We were called to go to the soccer field due to an injury to our son’s leg. I was the coach but could not make practice that day so another dad was running the drills. When we arrived, we found our son seated, knee to his chest, holding on tight with both arms and tears running down his cheeks. I recall thinking that the injury could not be that bad since he wasn’t screaming in pain. When the ambulance arrived, the paramedics assessed him and also thought it had to be something minor based on his composure. When we questioned him, he said that he had tried to kick the ball and missed. His leg swung around his body and he heard the sound like a pop. He told Robin, “You know that sound you hear when my brothers crack their knuckles? That’s what I heard.”
The medics took no chances. They wrapped his leg as it was, and we headed to our local hospital thirty minutes away. The x-rays showed a spiral fracture to the femur bone, growth plate to growth plate. How he wasn’t writhing and yelling was beyond us all—I would have been a basket case. The local hospital would not treat him, so we had to ride in another ambulance to Sacramento. The orthopedic doctor was Dr. Ryle. He took a look at the X-rays and said, “This is a simple repair, I don’t know why they sent you here.” I thought, “Because, for you this is easy.”
We always want the doctor who says this procedure is easy, right? I don’t want the doctor who has never seen anything like this before. Ironically, we would get to know Dr. Ryle quite well over the next few years as a few of our other sons would have reason to pay him a visit.
We remained in the Sacramento hospital for several days while they kept Johnie’s leg in traction. Johnie chose a purple body cast that covered him from waist to foot on the broken leg and waist to knee on the other, with a bar connecting the two for stability and for us to use when lifting and carrying him as well. That was a rough journey, but Johnie was a stud—especially
for a four-year-old. It was a long road of healing, and one you appreciate more when looking through the rearview mirror.
We were called to go to the soccer field due to an injury to our son’s leg. I was the coach but could not make practice that day so another dad was running the drills. When we arrived, we found our son seated, knee to his chest, holding on tight with both arms and tears running down his cheeks. I recall thinking that the injury could not be that bad since he wasn’t screaming in pain. When the ambulance arrived, the paramedics assessed him and also thought it had to be something minor based on his composure. When we questioned him, he said that he had tried to kick the ball and missed. His leg swung around his body and he heard the sound like a pop. He told Robin, “You know that sound you hear when my brothers crack their knuckles? That’s what I heard.”
The medics took no chances. They wrapped his leg as it was, and we headed to our local hospital thirty minutes away. The x-rays showed a spiral fracture to the femur bone, growth plate to growth plate. How he wasn’t writhing and yelling was beyond us all—I would have been a basket case. The local hospital would not treat him, so we had to ride in another ambulance to Sacramento. The orthopedic doctor was Dr. Ryle. He took a look at the X-rays and said, “This is a simple repair, I don’t know why they sent you here.” I thought, “Because, for you this is easy.”
We always want the doctor who says this procedure is easy, right? I don’t want the doctor who has never seen anything like this before. Ironically, we would get to know Dr. Ryle quite well over the next few years as a few of our other sons would have reason to pay him a visit.
We remained in the Sacramento hospital for several days while they kept Johnie’s leg in traction. Johnie chose a purple body cast that covered him from waist to foot on the broken leg and waist to knee on the other, with a bar connecting the two for stability and for us to use when lifting and carrying him as well. That was a rough journey, but Johnie was a stud—especially
for a four-year-old. It was a long road of healing, and one you appreciate more when looking through the rearview mirror.
No comments have been added yet.
