That's Me

That's Me

Saturday, June 9, 2012

A Real Life Nightmare

I think my Amazing Grace needs to take a break from testing her Guardian Angel's ability to protect her. Her famous reply when asked why she did something is, "I didn't mean to! It just happened." Like, "Why did you color your hair purple?" or "How did you trip over air??"

I know this was a true "I didn't mean to" moment 'cause it's called an accident for a reason, but dear Lord, if this child continues to send me to the ER praying for her to live, I may not survive to see her 18th Birthday.

Amazing Grace was at a friend's house last night, celebrating the beginning of summer, and I had just settled into bed with the hubs & we were watching the season finale of our favorite show. It was 10:48 when I heard Amazing Grace's ring tone, which is Gracie by Ben Folds.


In that half a second it took for me to register that it's not like her to call me when she's at a friend's, I figured she must have caught the bug that another one of the kids has right now & she wanted me to come get her.

When I answered, I heard every parent's nightmare, "Is this Grace's Mom? There's been an accident." I shot out of bed so fast that I tripped over my own feet. Hubby knew immediately to grab his keys, before I even hung up & told him there was an emergency, just from the way I reacted to the phone call.

There's 2 things I'm most angry about.

First, according to all the kids there, the parents insisted on moving Amazing Grace. Even though the kids themselves were telling them that you don't move someone who could have head/neck/back trauma from an accident. She was unresponsive for several minutes & when they started to move her she screamed from the back & right arm pain. Yet they moved her & didn't call 911.

Second, the father of the friend screamed at my daughter & another friend of hers about owing him money for the trashed 4-wheeler. Continuously screamed at them. If I have children get hurt on my property, my first thought is not going to be about my property. It's going to be about that child & getting them help immediately. Possessions are always replaceable. People are not.

At the hospital, hubby went into one room with our daughter's friend who is covered in scratches, until her Mom got there. I went with my baby girl where she was put in a cervical collar & they had to cut her shirts off of her. She was not happy about that. She was happy they didn't have to cut her jeans off of her though.


Through all her pain & tears, she kept asking how her friend in the other room was. Her friend was doing the same, so we finally let the girls talk to each other on their phones. After 3 hours, her friend was allowed to come into Amazing Grace's room where they grabbed each other's hands & cried & asked how the other was. It was so touching to see them so concerned for each other & crying over the other's pain, that my Mom, Ethel, and I all started crying along with them.

For 5 1/2 hours they wouldn't let my baby girl move & kept her in the c-collar & on the board. My Mom & Ethel were only allowed to come in the room for a few minutes & stayed in the waiting room the rest of time, with me texting them things as they happened. 

It was such a horrifying time, waiting to find out that she was not paralyzed or had internal bleeding. She was in so much pain & I was so scared of what damage had been done when she had been thrown from the 4-wheeler. We also did not have any details of the accident because Amazing Grace was knocked unconscious & has no memory of the accident. The 2 friends who were on it with her have spotty memory of it. The 2 friends who were on the other 4-wheeler didn't see what happened. The adults that were supposed to be supervising them were not present. 

We were released 6 hours later with a broken clavicle & a concussion. We are so incredibly lucky that she didn't have more than that. The accident alone could have caused much more, & having been moved...the thoughts I had while waiting for her scan results were pure nightmares. Once again, I was sitting at her bedside in a hospital, holding her hand & reassuring her, while secretly praying that my worst fears would not be our reality.

Intact clavicle.Source
Amazing Grace's clavicle, broken in 2 places.


Sometimes I hate my medical career/knowledge because I think ignorance when it comes to my own loved ones would be easier at times. This was one of those times.

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