On Broken Wings

My little girl learned how to fly a week ago. At the tender age of ten years old Carly took flight right off the side of this hill. Our chip and tar driveway leads down to a concrete drive coming up the hill. Well, I am told that Carly, her brothers and her friends from Minor Hill were riding in circles on that concrete drive where it opens up on top of the hill. She says that at some point she lost the ability to steer. This sent her careening off the hill with enough speed to take flight. All it took was a nice sized boulder off the side of the driveway to provide the lift needed to make her nightmares come true. Upon liftoff she was flung over the front of the bike and into a small tree. She says she landed on her left arm with it extended and hand down. That very position, with enough force, can cause a chip fracture of the ulna right at the elbow.

They all said she laughed for a few seconds and then began to cry for a short time. She did some complaining but did not appear to be in agony so we kept checking her elbow out for a day. I told her to let me know if the pain doesn't subside or if she feels that she needs to go to the hospital. The next evening she timidly said she was ready to go to the doc. I thought it was probably sprained or maybe a torn muscle. After the x-rays it was obvious that there was a piece of bone that had mostly separated from the elbow joint. She is a tough girl. Of course she has to be growing up with what will be six brothers by September.

She is taking it well. I remember breaking my arm when I was 12. This may be some right of passage in my family. I hope not. It was a compound fracture breaking both radius and ulna and then they broke through the skin. It was nasty and I passed out at first! I did not take it well. My oldest son Michael broke his arm when he was 11 very much the same way I did. A compound fracture breaking both bones in his left forearm. I guess what makes me so jealous of Carly is that SHE gets the "goretex" cast that allows her to GO SWIMMING! Those did not exist 25 years ago. That just ain't right.

I plan on getting a pic or two of her when she isn't expecting it. It may be the only way I will get away with a picture of her in a cast. I love that girl.