The Story of a Broken Arm...Again!

Cannon broke his arm...again...after only one week of us living here.

Prospect Park - he fell from the monkey bars right in front of me. I heard it crack and he screamed, "My arm is broken!" And there was no doubt that it was. I deemed this a true emergency and called an ambulance. Did I mention that we had ridden our bikes to the park and that my wallet was at home?

We waited a seemingly long time for the ambulance to arrive. He was screaming things about how Heavenly Father needed to heal his arm right then and there. We were both quite relieved once the paramedics arrived and he got relaxed as they were so calm and gentle with him. He even mustered up some humor that had us all laughing. This kid is something else!

He said he was a superhero and he could shoot needles from his IV

Cannon thrives in familiar routines which, as perplexing as it sounds, includes hospitals. He wasn't afraid to speak up. He begged the nurses for his IV because he knew it meant pain medication. He joked with the nurses, techs, and doctors that cared for him. I was so proud of him - for his courage and bravery and for being him. Sometimes at home I tell him, "I like you just the way you are," and this was one of those times I could really feel that. I marvel at this child of mine.

A re-break of both bones in his left forearm 

I've had so many deep feelings - guilt, thankfulness, regret, sadness, disappointment, anger, pride, joy.

Despite all the trauma, it wasn't hard to see the blessings and tender mercies that show me that a loving Father in Heaven is in the details of our lives:

1. Ryan had just finished a training class early when I called him and was able to leave work right away to meet us at the hospital.
2. Our bikes were still at the park when Ryan went back to get them.
3. King's County Hospital is notorious for less then stellar service, however it is the place to go for serious trauma and I felt that Cannon received excellent care.
4. No surgery was needed and the reduction aligned the bones well.
5. My blood sugars stayed level even though we were at the hospital for seven hours without me being able to eat anything.
6. I was able to keep it together and be the support that Cannon needed.
7. I was grateful for the comic relief that Cannon provided while coming out of anesthesia and for the medical professionals that laughed with us as they relayed the stories Cannon told while under anesthesia.

I also have to give a shout-out to Uber, who arrived at the hospital less than five minutes after we reserved a car, with a car seat perfectly installed (you know I was looking for an excuse to check-out their car seats).

We transferred our care to NYU Medical for all follow-up appointments and are very happy with that decision.

After the white plaster cast, came a bright green fiber-glass cast.

Green Guy

Then a black short-arm cast...

Now he can bend and unbend his elbow at will

Tenegrity and I like that Cole was the only one allowed to sign his cast

51 days in a cast and finally the big day arrived...

I forgot to take the "after" picture, but afterward we did enjoy a lovely day at Bryant Park and a detour to see the Chrysler Building. 

Front row seating to a book signing event for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's new book about Mycroft Holmes (yes, everything about that sentence seems random--I know)

First time on this carousel 

...and his first time playing Guess Who (which was a big hit!)