This time of year, although wonderful and magical, has sometimes presented our family with some challenges. What happened in our family has been on my mind quite a bit over the last week, so I decided to post these pictures and remind everyone of how lucky I am to have my husband. Six years ago, on the 21st of December, John, who was in the process of building a house for my mom, got up on her roof early the Saturday morning to fix a couple of things so the shingles could be put on. Once at the peak of the garage roof, he slipped on some ice, slid down the roof and landed on his feet, but immediately went completely down. After catching his breath, he realized he could not get up and knew that he had broken his leg. He proceed to Army crawl to his truck so he could get his phone and call me. When John first told me that I needed to come get him because his leg was broken, at first thought he was joking, then panic ensued. I got a hold of myself and grabbed the girls, Caitlyn and Haidyn, got shoes on and went around the corner to where John was. After getting some help to get him in the van and dropping the girls off at a neighbor, we went to Jordan Valley Hospital. At first we kept think that we would get his leg x-ray'd, set, casted and could go home and just perhaps make it to the Sorensen Family Christmas party that night. HA! That's funny! After the x-ray, the ER doctor came back in showing us the x-ray, saying "He is going to need to be admitted and have surgery." What!? Admitted? Surgery? I don't think so. "The Orthopedic surgeon on-call is on his way in." I ran out to the lobby to make phone calls to family to update them, crying the whole time. I was very positive for John, in the room, but not so much outside his room. All the while, John is making me write a list of all the things he needs to do for work. A little while later, the ER doctor came back in the room (at this point in time, I am not liking him because everytime he comes back in he brings worse news) "Umm . . . the Orthopedic surgeon says he can't do this surgery. He doesn't have the knowledge and we don't have the equipment at this hospital." Again I say, WHAT?! Looking back, I am grateful to this surgeon, for not taking on something that he knew was going to be more than he could handle. Then we got to go for an ambulance ride up to the University hospital. I think it was a first ride in an ambulance for both of us. The U emergency room was so busy that we were put into a room that is used as a detox/drunk tank room. There was only one chair and a tiny little sink in the corner. We ended up waiting for w hile because the hospital forgot to send up John's x-rays with us and then they wanted to get John in for an MRI so they knew exactly what they were dealing with. During all this I had such wonderful support from John's family and my mom (she still feels guilty and does not like it to be mentioned, but it is no fault of hers or anyones, it was just an accident). That night when they finally got to his surgery, they could not fix it at that time. The amazing doctor, Dr. Horwitz, put an external brace to pull his leg out to where it should be and to stabilize it so as to allow the swelling to go down. After he was done with the surgery Dr. Horwitz came out to talk to me and told me that John would never be the same, that he would never run again, this was a life altering break. Not that John was a runner, obviously, but the man doesn't sit down. His is not happy unless he is moving. They were also concerned with compartment syndrome, which is when the swelling continues and does not stop and they have to cut it open to relieve the pressure, so I didn't go home for a while or days. John was able to come home on Christmas Eve, Tuesday, and enjoy Christmas with the girls then Monday morning we went back up to the U for surgery. After 5 hours of surgery Dr. Horwitz, who before surgery was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, came out exhausted. John lower leg had been in about 50 pieces, and on the third time of putting all those pieces back together, Dr. Horwitz was satisfied with the outcome. John now had 2 plates and 16 screws hold together his tibia. The doctor proceeded to tell me that although he had seen breaks similar, he had never seen one so bad before. I have never seen my husband in so much pain before. They had him on a morphine pump, but it honestly didn't seem to touch the pain. He was on so many pain pills he didn't seem to know what side was up anymore. Although John was quite high from everything I have gathered some absolutely hilarious stories from it, starting with him worrying if anyone could see his "little fella". Then he was upset that the very young, cute nurse had to hold on to him in order to remove his catheter. I tried to convince him that the girl was very cute and he should be excited about it, but he wasn't. After his second surgery, we stayed for six more days, after have two blood transfusions, due to a low blood count, which no one was sure why. After about a month we went to have the staple removed, but he was not allowed to put any weight on his leg for 3 months! He was completely down for 2 months of which I slept on the floor. I didn't want to risk bumping him in the middle of the night. To get around he went from wheelchair to walker to crutches. It is thanks to numerous therapist that he was able to get around as well as he does. Now, six years later he really gets around fine, in fact people who don't know of his accident have no idea, he has a slight limp, but it really isn't recognizable unless you are looking for it. Of course it bothers him when the weather changes and earlier this year we went to see Dr. Horwitz because his leg bothers him more frequently. He has arthritis in his joint and it is only a matter of time until he will have to have his knee replaced. Dr. Horwitz told us if John makes it to his 50th birthday and hasn't needed to have it replaced yet he was a huge bouquet of flowers. I asked Dr. Horwitz if he remembered us, knowing he sees hundereds of patients and being over five years ago, to which he replied, "Oh yeah, I remember you. You don't forget that kind of a break."
This is how John came home from the hospital the first time with the external brace. It was drilled into his femur and to lower part of his tibia. The dark bubble on his leg is a fracture blister. I had never heard of fracture blisters before this. The way the doctor described it is when he fell all the energy from the fall was absorbed in to his leg and the blisters was how that evergy was released. His lower leg was covered with blisters, but there was that one huge one, it was the size of my fist.
This is just a different angle of the brace and it was after the blister broke. I learned so much during this time, it was fascinating!
Christmas morning. During the holidays, we had so much help from friends, neighbors and family. They came to our home to wrap presents and bring in meals. I think the 10 days John spent in the hospital I only stayed home one night. All the other nights I stayed by his side sleeping in a very uncomfortable chair. I still have no idea where or who had my girls. I knew they were being taken care of, very well, I might add and that was all I needed to know.
This was taken the day he had his staples taken out. It looks so much better than the first time I saw it after thesecond surgery. In fact, the first time I saw it out of the brace I yelled "Holy *@$%! His leg looks like hamburger!" To which the nurse responded that she thought it looked really good.
I also, want to mention that 8 days after John fell, I found out we were expecting Dilyn. We had been through two miscarriages in the previous year. In fact a year to the day of John's fall, I was in the ER having an emergency D & C. Needless to say, I was terrified. When John went in to surgery the morning after I found out I was pregnant, I was on the phone with my doctor in tears in hopes of not losing another baby. I still find it funny that I was so nauseated I could not cook eggs, but I could clean John's wounds and take care of his leg without a problem.
Looking back on this difficult time I really don't think of the difficulty anymore. I remember the funny things John said when he was doped up, the way our families pulled together to help us out, sometimes in the middle of the night. I remember all the people who showed up at my door with food or movies or to take my girls for a couple of hours. I truly felt loved by all those around us and by my Heavenly Father. I know His hand was there guiding me and supporting me. My heart felt thanks go out to all of those who were there for us! Thank You!
I love to watch their faces when opening their presents. Dilyn loved every minute!
Every year Santa graciously brings us new underwear and socks. Do you think it was Haidyn's favorite present?
Andrew got a Farm tractor from Brevin. Brevin was a little jealous this time.
