I've got at least a 100 more Grey Hairs today

Thursday started off as a very normal, run of the mill day. I had been slated to compete in a chili cook-off, but due to a catestrophic failure of our four year old home Internet router the night before, the chili never got made. (Instead, I spent the time troubleshooting, and then tossing the router out my office window... Off to Big Box Store to pick up a New, Better, Faster router.)

So, Thursday came and I had no chili to compete at the Lunchtime Cook-off. Instead, I decided to go home for lunch. I took out a pan and tossed in fresh asparagus, garlic, fresh thyme, EVOO and a little butter for Kan an me. Rounded that out with some nice, fresh and sweet strawberries on the side. Yumm. A nice. relaxing lunch.

Kandy left to work in Megan's class. It was almost 12:30. I took a little time to put the dishes in the washer, then by 12:45 I was on my way back to work. About half way there my cell phone rings.

"Deb. You have to leave work now. Katie is hurt on the playground and they're calling a med-evac helicopter. You have to leave work now."

Oh crap.

I did a U-turn, and raced to Katie's school, about a mile away and one block from our home. When I arrived, I slid into the parking lot and bolted from the car and ran across the playground -- If you know me, you know that that would be quite a sight, me running. "Is that your daughter? I'm really sorry!" one girl shouted out to me. I ran to where there was one ambulance and then another arriving. Geeze! I found Katie laying on the ground, her arm askew surrounded by kids, teachers, paramedics and her teacher was by her head comforting her. Kandy was talking to the paramedics who were trying to decide if she needed to go the Children's hospital, or the one closer which is around 10 miles away. They cancelled the Med-Evac, and loaded her into one of the ambulences.

At the ER, they took Xrays. Yikes! It was worse than I had imagined.

We're now on a rampage - Ban the Monkey Bars! The medical staff said that of all the school accidents they see, broken bones from falling off of Monkey Bars are by far the most plentiful. How come I never knew that before? Why is it now only coming to my attention? My little girl, the elder of two, loves to play on the Monkey Bars!!! She doesn't want to do that ever again.

We waited all day for the orthopedic surgeon to be be free of his clinic. Katie was such a trooper. She never cried. She never moaned. She smiled and was a cooperative as need be. Our brave little girl. The Xray technician said that he was amazed at how she allowed him to move her arm to take the pictures - and said that he's had many a big guy in there screeming. Her Xrays hung up in the ER all day for everyone to see. Well, we finally got her into surgery at 7pm. The surgeon came out and told us that he put 3 pins in her arm - two which extend externally, and one set internally to avoid hitting a nerve, all to stabilize the bones as they heal. They will all be removed in due course, and he will need to monitor her until she is 13 to be sure that the arm is growing normally.

Yay, her pain is minimal today, here at home, considering what she's been through. For the last 2 days her friends have been dropping off cards and letters and little gifts like soft toy animals. She's doing pretty well, and learning how to get by one-handed. Oh, she broke her right arm, but fortunately she is Left-handed!

Thank goodness for small favors.

All in all, I think it wore out the Parental Units more than it wore out this kidlet!

Ain't that they way of things?

We are so grateful that the accident wasn't more serious than this. We are grateful for all the Parents doing playground duty who took appropriate action. We are grateful for the support we have received, and the kindness. We are especially grateful to the paramedics who knew their job and did it so well. Thanks to one and all.