De ja vu - well sort of

This is a long post.
It is more for me than for anyone else.
To help me process, to help me remember how blessed I was last night and to help me deal with all the feelings that are going through me right now.

And to answer the questions many people have asked.

Monday evening just past 6 Jenn and I were preparing for a friend who would be joining us for dinner. Our friend arrived a little early and Mark wasn't home from his bike ride yet... a little odd but I didn't think much about it. A few minutes later my phone rang. It was Timpanogos Hospital ER informing me that Mark had been in an accident and asked if I could come right down. She asked if I knew where the hospital was, I repeated back to her the nearest cross streets and we hung up. I relayed the message to Jenn and Danny, we turned off burners, put the meat in the fridge, our friend quickly left and we headed to the hospital.

The whole way there I was trying to recall the details of my conversation with the woman at the hospital and was mad that I didn't ask more question. He was on a back board. He was awake because he told them it was OK to call me - not in a coma, that's good. Jenn texted the kids while I drove to let them know what was going on and then offered a prayer.

When we arrived Mark was out of the room getting a CAT scan. A CAT scan... hmmm. I asked around to get more information. We found out that he was hit by a longboarder on the river trail and was unconscious for at least 10 minutes. I felt sick inside and angry.

Robbie and Cecily joined Jenn and I at the ER after a few minutes. Mark was soon wheeled back in awake and not in too much pain. He told us that he was almost home, riding past the parking lot by the bridge at 8th North and University. He slowed down as he approached this area because it was often crowded and kind of a dangerous area. He saw one long boarder come out of the parking area and then a few moments later another one shot out right in front of him. He saw Mark and jumped off his skate board. Mark tried to bunny hop the deserted board but didn't make it. He woke up 10 minutes later in the ambulance on his way to the hospital. His left side took the brunt of the impact cracking a rib and breaking his left radius near the elbow also bruising his hip and shoulder. He lost skin from his cheek, chin, both knees, assorted fingers and knuckles and has a scrape across his chest. They didn't discover the elbow was broken until they were helping him sit up and get into the wheelchair. He requested that they x-ray it and sure enough - a compression fracture.

When we finally got him home it was after 9:00pm. Mark hadn't had much to drink and nothing to eat since his bikeride. He sat up to the bar and was about to start eating when he told us he felt light headed, like he was going to pass out. I turned to get something more for him when Cecily said, "He IS going to pass out". Robbie stood on one side of him and I hurried to the other and just moments later he went limp. Cecily and Jenn could see all the color drain from him and he kind of twitched and began to sweat profusely. My shirt was wet where his head leaned against me. When he came to we got him something to drink and tried to get him talking when he passed out again. Cecily was very calm and suggested that we lay him on the ground and elevate his feet. I was told Jenn to get our neighbor to help lay Mark on the ground, I was afraid I would drop him while we were trying to move him. Mark came to again. Jenn came back in a few minutes, the neighbor she went to get was out of town but a different one was passing by and I'm really not sure how he ended up coming over but I'm glad he did. While we laid him on the floor I had Jenn call our good friend and Mark's doctor, Chris Wood. He used to live next door but lives in North Salt Lake. Cecily was awesome and calm, just what I needed.  I described what was going on to Chris and he gave me some instructions and things to watch for. We gave him some OJ and other liquids to get his blood sugar and volume up. At some point we called our faithful home teacher to come and help give him a blessing. As Mark ate and drank his color got better and he could carry on a conversation and not slur his words. We began to breathe a little easier watching the color return to his face and he began joking and talking. Chis called back a few minutes later to let me know he was on his way. Mark was given a beautiful blessing of healing and comfort by Robbie and the other bretheren. After a 20 minutes or so laying on the floor, Mark was looking pretty good and the men helped Mark up and into the chair in the living room. We put blankets on him and got more food into his system along with some pain medication. He seemed more like his old self more and more. Our wonderful neighbor headed home and our home teacher stayed a bit longer.

Before long Chris arrived and we looked at the CD of Mark's CAT scan and xrays. Chris examined Mark and didn't find any evidence of internal bleeding. Mark and I were so touched that he would drive all this way in the middle of the night to check on him. But he came for me too. He realized how scared I was and how overwhelming all this was for me and gave me instructions too along with a prescription for anxiety which I was reluctant to get filled but glad I did.

While in the ER Robbie took a picture of Mark and posted it on facebook. The calls, prayers and well wished rolled in. We were overwhelmed by the love and support we feel. In addition to getting this out of my head and in to some tangible form that I could deal with I wanted to say a huge THANK YOU to those who were there for us in a second's notice. I feel so blessed. I'm sure the next few days will be a challenge but I know we are certainly not alone.

In over three decades of our married life it has been me that has given birth, had my appendix out, had other health challenges... including getting taken out by a longboarder. I can't remember a time when my wonderful husband has been the one lying there while I felt helpless. This is new and I don't like it. Tonight I feel exhaused, vunerable, and very very aware of how fragile life is. But I do not feel alone. I feel so loved, so supported and carried - and I'm not the one hurt. The efforts made today to support our family were such kind acts, so needed and given because others knew what we needed and were willing to drop what they were doing to help us. That was a whole huge group of tender mercies and love. Thank you! I am reminded each moment that God knows each of us personally and attends to our needs often through our friends and neighbors - the angels who surround us all the time.