Thursday, March 31, 2016

No Cry Overspilled milk

We went to a Korean BBQ restaurant and enjoyed the meal as a family outing. Our family does not go out to eat a lot, mostly my wife cooks at home.  But it was a special day when my wife appears to be tired, and we choose to eat outside. But what start out as something special, went horribly wrong. The scene of my daughter falling from the bar and my inability to save her before she hit the ground replay again and again in front of my eyes and conscious. It is haunting and very tormenting. But my pains is nothing compare to what she had to go through.


After leaving the Korean BBQ restaurant, we head back home. On the way, Choekyi wants us to go to a park, which she discovered lately.  So it was getting dark, and we went as she wished.  It was a new playground, with nice green field and kids playing area.


Both of my daughters played so well and enjoyed in the kids area. But my wife suggest us to go to another side of the field. She was adamant to go to the other side to take a long stroll.  My younger daughter wants to stay where they are playing so joyfully, and she made a scene for going to the other side as if she knows what is in store. Kids are intuitive, could that be premonition?. 

As we went to another side of the playground, it leads to a path that winding down and take us to a dead end. I was wearing my sun-glass in the evening with my regular eye glass having not taken with me. and my sights are not that good, what it is getting dark.


On the path that we went, a little further down the road, there was a wooden house. My two little kids as curious as they are attempted to explore it. I warned them that this might not be a good idea. As the wooden structure might not be safe for kids to enter. The kids are always restless and hyperactive; they need something to be doing all time. It might be to play with something or to climb or to explore or to touch something.


 On the roadside, there are some exercise tools including a gymnastic bar and a sort of bench.  The two kids lay down on the bench. Then my younger child wants to hold the gymnastic bar up in the air and to ask me to help her up. I did lift her up as she clutches the bar, and I swing her side to side. She signals when she is unable to hold it any longer , and I have safely helped her land on the ground. Then it was my elder child, who too want to hold the gymnastic bar. I helped her up to hold the bar. When I thought she has clutched the bar, then I swing her to one side.   But that very moment, when she did few swing, she has either let go her hold or she could not hold, but she was landed herself on the ground, with a thud, and scream. It was either a fall, or she attempted to land herself without assistance.


 The very moment, that I realized she landed on the ground in unusual way. I was too late even though I immediately rushed to hold her up.  She yelled and said her arm was injured. When I looked at it, it was crooked, and kind of bend sideway.   I hold her up in my arm, and tempted to correct or smoothen her hand, but then a second thought, I left it as it was for fear that I might do something wrong.

My wife saw all this unfolding in a split second was petrified and start to act weird and very scared. But her maternal instinct was strong, that she took of her shirt immediately, and we folded her fractured arm, and with that rushed to ER at Innova Hospital. 


Thankfully, the ER took good care of my child. The hospital admitted her and after an x-ray and sedating; the orthopedic doctor corrected her fore arm. We went to the hospital around 9:00 pm, and we got home around 2:00 am early morning. With the art of state facilities and best medical profession, INOVA Children's care center, is a marvelous undertaking.


After several days, we made another appointment with a  orthopedic surgeon for follow up. The orthopedic surgeon took another x-ray and then we realized, her fragile, broken born has shifted and not allied in the right way. As the surgeon recommends, we agreed for surgery to properly straighten the bone.

Then it took another next day appointment, and with a early wake up, and driving to the hospital, the operation was completed in two hours. 

The surgeon came out and explained that it was s success, and assures, my child's hand will be normal after few months of recovery, with all functionality unaffected.

She has been resting at home with mother's care and with all the nourishment, until after a week she is ready to return to school. .   Thankfully the surgery wound appears to be healing fast, after a day, all her pain is no longer bothering. She becomes playful and returns to normalcy in her activities.

As parents, my daughter's plight was disheartening. I felt, partially responsible for what my daughter goes through. The scene of my daughter's fall and my sense of helplessness replays in my consciousness with remorse and regret.Both of my wife and I took utmost care of their safety, and this lapse that lead her fractured arm is the most unforgetable and regretful event in my entire life.

But there is no cry over spilled  milk. As my wife was very calm, and caring with great understanding in dealing with such a crisis. She showed no sign of fatigue and rallied around to nurse my daugther with her loving hands.

 The lesson that we have learned from this incident is that we should realize how  lucky we are, that we could make the best out of the bad situation. It help us to appreciate more how grateful we are for the health and safety of our precious children, as accident and things do happen in life without any warning. .