It was a dark and stormy night……………the cliff was high and rugged…………………he was skiing for the gold…..for his country’s honor………………….the hill was steep and a plate of sheer ice……………………he was rescuing a litter of snow patrol pups from an avalanche……………………………
Where to begin? There was a tree branch -hidden from Chad’s view-and as Chad was making a left tele turn (in the crud mind you)……..he hit the tree root/stump/branch and the collision sent his body flying into the air where he came to a halt in a nearby bush. He hit hard and instantly he knew he was in trouble. He tried to ski down to the bottom of the hill where the boys were, but could make it no further than the ski patrol hut. X-rays revealed a broken tibia, just below his knee. Chad had surgery the following day. Seven screws and one metal plate later……his leg was put back together. The hospital was thinking they needed to keep him overnight, because his oxygen saturation was low and he was really nauseated. As the nurse was offering a comfy night’s stay I whispered to Chad and patted his back, “you don’t have the money to stay overnight honey……..now take big breaths and stuff a few barf bags in your pocket and I will find you some clothes to change into. Finally, after an eternity in the recovery room, we were able to go home late that night. One of the moments I can laugh about now was pulling out of the hospital. Chad wasn’t in the car for more than two minutes when he started to vomit repeatedly…………it was a funny moment, because I just kept driving and didn’t have the energy for the normal reaction one would have to close proximity throw-up. Then I calmly and slowly turned on the radio button, and every so slightly increased the volume level (like they do in timeshare presentations)to drown out the sound of Chad puking. A few minutes later, in between dry heave sessions, I said to him smiling, “think of all the money you are saving right now......doesn't it feel good to save money?" The look on his face as he turned toward me will forever be imbedded in my mind. He looked so miserable. We didn’t say another word to each other the whole ride home. We can laugh about it now, but at the time I think we both wanted to cry. Chad is on the mend, and each day he is improving. He is wearing a giant brace on his leg and for the most part keeps it elevated. He is good spirits and glad to be a week down the road. We were told he can’t put weight on it for two months, which is going to be a challenge for him since he is already going a little stir crazy. I have big plans for him to alphabetize the DVD’s and cd’s like he did when he had knee surgery three years ago.
I will keep you posted on his progress, in the meantime thank you to everyone who came to our rescue this week…… you will never know what your acts of kindness, phone calls, messages, etc have meant. We are truly so very thankful to have wonderful friends, family and neighbors…..Your are the BEST!!!!
