Thursday, May 16, 2013

Life's curveballs and blessings

Well, long time no see! I have down right been a stranger to my own blog. It makes me sad, but I want you to know that I am not gone permanently! My sweet husband was in a horrible accident in December, the 6th to be exact. A man crossed over into on-coming traffic and hit my husband head on going 45mph. It was horrible. A bystander called me and told me to come quick. I had just gotten home and hopped in the tub for a well-deserved soak. I quickly sped across town to the scene of the accident, and let me tell you, I was hysterical. When I got there I went straight to the ambulance but Chris wasn't in there, he was on the ground and EMS was still working on him. I was losing my mind trying to get to him. The police and some firemen were holding me back, promising me that he was going to be ok. They didn't want me in the way. All I could see was a paramedic leaning over my husband on the ground and an SUV sitting ON TOP of my husband's totaled Honda Civic. Look, I didn't handle that too gracefully. I just wanted to see my husband and know that he was ok! I put up a bit of a fight and they were laughing at me. I gave them a run for their money that they weren't expecting!

When I finally got to see Chris, he was so banged up, it just broke my heart. He had head to toe abrasions, and a severely damaged right leg.....I could see bone. Listen, I can talk all day long about autopsies, blood and gore, but little prepares you for that.

The man that hit Chris accepted full responsibility. He came to the hospital the next day to meet us and apologize. He spoke with us right before my husband's emergency surgery.

Miraculously Chris only had ONE broken bone. His heel. It doesn't sound all that dramatic, but boy was it! He could not put his right foot down for almost 3 months. NO weight on it whatsoever. Not only that but the bone that I could see earlier was his right knee-cap. He ended up with close to 80 stitches in his right knee. There was so much tissue damage, swelling and bruising that he could not bend or straighten his right knee. It stayed in a brace, slightly bent, for those three months. He did a lot of sitting, understandably, and I didn't. Girlfriend spent some time proving the "in sickness..." part of those vows from so many years ago!

I did not go back to work until January 7th. Over a month (including Winter break of course!). When I went back to work, I only went back part time temporarily. I was back full time in February. Chris finally returned to work on April 15th. Thank God. His job, and mine, were AMAZING. Our jobs were safely waiting on us to return when we were able. Few people can say that. We are blessed beyond measure.

Chris is on his feet and walking with a cane. He has gone from being immobile, to a wheelchair, to a walker, to a cane, and now he is walking some of the day without the cane. Which is an amazing improvement. His leg is still incredibly swollen, as well as his right ankle and foot. Watching him struggle to walk is sometimes heartbreaking. I say sometimes because it is mostly a reminder about how amazing God is. Chris should not have survived the accident, yet he is breathing and walking around. He should, no will, make a FULL recovery. He has two 2 1/2 inch titanium screws holding his right heel together. The x-rays are amazing. You can barely tell there was a break...except for those honkin' screws! God is so good.

I can't wait to post tons of pictures from this year and share some of my experiences as a first grade teacher. I've learned, and taught, a lot this year and I look forward to sharing it all with you!