OUCH!

Some days I feel like my motto in life should be "expected the unexpected," because that is often what happens. Today marked the beginning and end of Trey's fall soccer season. Yup, just like that it was here and over. Trey had a fantastic double header this morning at 10 AM and 11 AM to kick off the season. He scored a goal, did a great job playing goalie and played most of the game as a forward, his favorite position. Trey's team played great and won both games, the future looked promising. After his games wrapped up, Trey stayed over by his field to visit with friends and watch the next game. The rest of us made our way over to adjacent field for Josh and Matt's 12 PM game.

As I happily chatted with friends, wrestled and tickled the girls and snapped photos of the boys, out of no where I hear a voice filled with panic shout my name. "Cheryl Jackson, Cheryl Jackson!" I looked up to see Trey's good friend Sammy's mom running my direction. She was a coach of another team that was playing on the field next to us. "Cheryl, Trey just fell and broke his arm!"

Well then, that wasn't quiet on my list of things planned for the day. Just the phrase 'broken arm' put me in a dream like type state. Josh broke his arm two years ago, so I thought I knew what to expect. Thankfully, Rich was with us and headed off toward the direction she pointed. I quickly put away the camera and gathered the girls. A friend had asked if she could take the girls, but I said no, they would follow me no matter what. I walked at a brisk pace trying to get Kaitlyn to catch up, when I finally saw what was a head of us. Trey on the ground writhing and screaming, Rich hunched over, a crowd of parents trying to help and right then and there I knew it wasn't good and much more serious than I had first envisioned. I sprinted toward my oldest child with a bit of fear in my heart.

After all the tumbles and bumps on the soccer field, Trey broke his arm by just playing with friends running and chasing when he fell down on his arm as it was outstreched behind him. Rich put it like this, there are broken arms and then there are BROKEN arms. To all our disappointment, Trey's was the latter. It was a horrible scene. Trey's right arm was outstretched, a tennis ball size bulge two inches above the wrist followed by curved downward section, his hand twisted in an unnatural position. My stomach did a little flip. I am no orthopedic surgeon like my father-in-law, but I knew enough to make me scared. Now instead of a lazy afternoon together, I was hoping Trey's day would be contained to x-rays and a cast and not pins and plates.

While the whole thing was passing like a blur in slow motion, I looked around and took it all in. Rich was a kind and attentive doctor and father. Parents and coaches were rushing about giving Trey ice, wiping his hot face down with wet t-shirts. A friend dashed over and took the girls. People grabbed first aid kits, gauze, tape, shin guards, clipboards and cardboard. Rich carefully constructed a split and secured Trey's wobbly arm and hand to it while many hands pressed and lifted and reached out in support.

As I looked up I saw Sammy's mom, Kyle's mom, a pulmonologist from UK that Rich knows from work all assisting Rich, a tech from UK stabilizing the splint, and EMT unrolling tape, two YMCA refs and various other people doing all they could to help Trey and us in our time of need. It touched me. I couldn't do anything to help my son through the pain. I could only encourage and love him. But others were doing the same for us. We surrounded by generous and caring people who's only thoughts at that moment was to help Trey. It showed the goodness of people and how charity and kindness are alive and well. I felt blessed through it all. Though I am sure if you asked the patient his answer wouldn't quite be the same. In fact he later told me on a 1-10 pain scale, it was 100% a 10. Poor kid.

With Trey's arm bound to the cardboard splint, we made our way to the car and off they went, just like that. My part was over, but I knew he was in good hands. How grateful I am for cars, x-rays, doctors, pain medicine, casts, Christ-like people and the pure miracle of the human body that can repair broken bones. It's an amazing world we live in.

After my two fellas drove off, I went back hugged the girls, thanked our friends, watched the soccer game, rushed Josh and Matt over to their 1 PM baseball game, grabbed some much needed ice cream (I failed to mention that it was 95 degrees and humid today!) and finally got home at 3 PM. Then we waited and waited and waited for Trey and Rich to finally come home. Sure they called us on the phone, but I was ready to give my little buddy a big hug and see his smiling face walk through the door. That finally happened at 7 PM.They had to wait, and wait and wait because Trey's break was a displaced fracture. He broke both the radius and ulna two inches above the wrist and the bones were not aligned. They had to reduce the break (manipulate it back into the correct position). They admitted him to the hospital and ran an IV. Trey had been drinking water during the game so after the first set of x-rays they had to wait nearly 3 hours so they could safely sedate him allowing them to reduce the break. After that they had to take a second round of x-rays and finally split his arm. They have to allow time for the swelling to go down before they can put on a hard cast. We'll go back a week from Monday to get the cast.

While there is never a good time to break anything, we were fortunate it was today. Rich took Trey over early so we had both cars at the field. Rich's board exam was last Monday making this the first Saturday in forever he didn't desperately need to study. It was a blessing it was now and not next week when he was on call and not at the game. It would have been so much harder on all of us any other way. Like most things, our current situation wasn't great, but really could have been so much worse.

It was a long day for everyone, but it ended on a happy note. As I waited our friends the McQuivey's who were at the game and took my girls during the drama, dropped off cookies for Trey. Our parents called to check up on Trey. And once he got home he was showered with love. Matt gave him a big hug and told him he was really worried about him. The girls were fascinated by Trey's big 'owie' and kept repeating "Trey broken." Also, his soccer coach Tricia Brooksalong with her family came over to wish Trey well and gave him the coolest balloon I've seen and some more yummy cookies.Her daughter Waveney is also Trey's teammate. Yes, Trey had a brief sad moment after all the visitors left and realized that school (he's right handed), recess, soccer, P.E., PS2, computer games, birthday parties, etc, were all going to be affected by this, but after some encouraged tears, hugs and a prayer I know he'll get through this like he always does- with a smile on his face and a bit of mischievousness in his eyes. Yes, he'll be alright. Count on it. Just you wait and see.....