My youngest daughter, Zoe, broke her tibia bone at her growth plate just behind her knee cap. She broke it while playing at recess. Because of the severity and nature of the break and that her growth plate was involved, surgery was required. We took Zoe to Hospital Vivian Pellas, in Managua, to their team of skilled pediatric surgeons. Two anxious parents, two experienced surgeons, and two and a half hours of surgery later, Zoe awoke to start her slow recovery. Zoe immediately noticed that she could not do most things without help from others. Her "hip to tip" cast, frustratingly gets in the way of everything. She cried because she wanted to run around and play, but couldn't. She cried because of the constant throbbing in her knee. She cried most, though, when she realized she was the one being left behind. Zoe said, "Daddy, it's easier to be the person leaving than being the person that's left behind."
Seeing my daughter in tears, immobile and broken, has stirred up some of my long forgotten memories, as well. I have been where Zoe is on many occasions and know she'll get better but she has to witness this for herself. My worst fracture was when I fell from a roof which left my right ulnar styloid and radius (wrist region) crushed with nearly two dozen fragments. The first physician that I saw, at that time, said that he could not help me and gave me a dire prognosis, I was devastated. That doctor said that I needed to see an Orthopedic specialist but would not say if I would ever be able to use my wrist again. Multiple surgeries later, and I was able to regain the use of my right arm. Incredibly, as if by fate's hand, my injury and Zoe's injury occurred on the exact same day, at nearly the exact same hour, exactly 25 years apart. Yep, I couldn't even make this one up. October 4th, 1992 around 1 o'clock in the afternoon, I got injured. Simply change the year to 2017, leave the rest the same, and that reflects Zoe's injury timeline. This unique coincidence of timing, that we share, has eased Zoe's stress. It calms her to know that she and daddy can share something so special. As she will see, wounds heal, but memories both good and bad, will live on and on.
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| That "Moment" a parent finds out how bad things really are for their injured child. |
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| Pre-op blues as Zoe is readied for surgery. |
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| Recovery room and reflections of what has happened. |
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| First encounters for sisters are filled with love, support, and tenderness. |
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| Adjusting to home, just a little different. Well wishes from classmates adorn the walls. |
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| Very clean 3.5 inch incision with two puncture marks is all that was left by the physicians. |
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