This Wasn’t the Summer We Ordered – Zack’s Journey
Day 1 – The Collapse
It started with sandbags and ended in A&E. Zack’s knee gave out while we were moving them. He collapsed in pain and there was no moving him. I shielded him from the wind and rain while we waited on the ambulance.
At first, we thought it was just a dislocation. Turns out, it was a fractured knee with a torn ligament. Of course it was.
Day 2 – The Call No Parent Wants
The Sick Kids confirmed it. A proper joint fracture, not something that will heal with rest. Surgery is the only option.
So now we wait. MRI first, surgery sometime next week.
His summer holidays are officially wrecked.
Day 3 – False Hope
Late night phone call from the hospital — they might do surgery tomorrow. Cue anxiety and zero sleep.
Spoiler: it didn’t happen.
Day 4 – Not Yet
Surgery postponed. All that stress and sleeplessness for another “maybe Thursday.”
I just want it over. For both of us.
Day 5 – Full Parent Mode
Today was a crash course in car-packing, folding leg braces, adjusting wheelchair angles and rethinking how many arms I actually need.
MRI is tomorrow. Surgery is allegedly still Thursday. Let’s see.
Day 6 – The MRI Gauntlet
MRI done. Zack handled it like a trooper.
It was exhausting – getting him in and out of chairs, keeping him settled, managing pain.
Now we focus on Thursday’s surgery.
Day 7 – Surgery Day
Three hours in theatre.
A large piece of his knee joint had broken off completely — they screwed it back into place.
He’s recovering now and we have the whole ward to ourselves for the night. One tiny silver lining.
Day 8 – The Quiet
The silence of an empty ward. Zack’s finally sleeping after nearly a week of broken rest.
It’s eerily calm, but after the chaos, it’s almost welcome.
Day 9 – The Night From Hell
No sleep. Obs every two hours. Morphine at 1 a.m. for pain. Then reflux that felt like chest pain.
Then at 3 a.m., a new child brought into the ward screaming in agony. Zack’s up, I’m up, we’re all up.
I finally dozed off around 5 a.m., only to have my bed packed away at 7:30.
Running on fumes.
Day 10 – Discharged
We’re home. Zack didn’t want to stay another night and his pain is now under control.
He’s been in the recliner since we got back. We both desperately need a good sleep. Just one solid night.
Day 11 – A Staircase Victory
We got him up the stairs. On his bum. One slow, painful step at a time.
But he made it into his bed — his own bed — for the first time in days.
There’s swelling, dressings, braces, and a long road ahead…
But this? This was a win.
Now
Zack’s leg is fully immobilised. Wrapped, braced, elevated, swollen.
It’s not the summer we planned.
It’s the one we were handed.
And we’re facing it — one painful step, one quiet breath, one hard-earned smile at a time.
