Tough Guy

I always knew Jonah was tough, but this weekend I found out just how tough he is.  On Saturday he went over to my mom's house to play.  I came to pick him up and I told him he could have a few more minutes to play while I ran inside and said hi.  I was in my parents kitchen and all of the sudden I heard Jonah screaming.  It is a horrible scream that I recognized from his night terrors.  You can tell he is terrified and he screams out for me and asks for help.  I ran outside and I saw him coming around the fence from the next door neighbors.  I asked him what was wrong and then I noticed his leg.  It looked horrible!  His thigh had the biggest gash in it that I have ever seen.  It was at least two inches wide, two inches deep and two inches long.  It wasn't bleeding so you could see right inside his leg.  I thought I was looking right at his bone, but I found out later it was his muscle.  I immediately started gagging.  I thought a chunk of his leg was missing, I couldn't imagine that the skin could be cut open like that.  He had been playing football at the neighbors and hit his thigh right on the corner of the trailer and it sliced his leg right open. Right after Jonah came over the neighbor, Russell, who is firefighter and an EMT came running over.  He could tell I wasn't handling it well and scooped Jonah up in his arms.  I asked him if I should take Jonah to the ER and he said yes.  He hopped in the van with Jonah and I remembered that Caitlyn was home alone with Wyatt and Hallee.  She stays with them for short times when I am close by and I know she can call me and I can get home quickly.  Keith was at a Stake Conference Priesthood meeting and had left his phone home.

I started panicking and Mel and my mom offered to go sit with my kids.  At that point my dad switched Russell places and held Jonah while I drove him to the hospital.  Russell looked at me and said we needed someone calm to drive.  Right when he said that I snapped out of it and calmed down immediately.  I said I could do it and me and dad took off.  Jonah didn't cry the rest of the night.  I kept reassuring him that everything was going to be okay and my dad held him tight so I could focus on driving.  I started calling people from Keith's cell phone that I thought would be in the meeting.  I got ahold of our neighbor Blenda and she could tell I was panicked so she started texting people until she got a response.  The Stake President was speaking when someone came and whispered in his ear and he looked down at Keith and said, "Keith you need to go, your wife is trying to get a hold of you."  Keith panicked the whole way home imagining horrible scenarios.  My mom was at our house and told him what happened and he immediately left for the hospital.  Thank goodness because Jonah kept asking for him and wouldn't let the doctors start until his dad was there. 

When we got to the hospital we were taken right back and everyone was so nice.  The doctor told me that it looked a lot worse than it was and they could stich it up.  He said they could stich it up with Jonah awake, but he would have to hold perfectly still or they could put him out.  I asked Jonah, who was being amazingly rational, what he wanted to do and he said, "I think I better go to sleep."  Jonah was nervous about everything they did, but once they explained to him what they were doing he would cooperate.  The nurses were great with him.  They put the IV in and got him hooked up to oxygen and heart monitors.  Keith arrived shortly after that and then they gave him the drug to knock him out.  They had to give him three doses because he wasn't going out easy.  He wasn't asleep, but he was out of it.  He started wincing and screaming out when they put the shot in his leg, I felt so bad for him.  They told me that he could feel it, but he wouldn't remember it.  He remembered everything. He did say he had dreams about riding all of the rides at Lagoon and Elijah making all of the touchdowns at his football game. 

They had a resident stich him up.  He had to do two layers of stiches.  I felt so relieved when I saw him stich up the first layer and saw that they really could close that huge gash.  Jonah was starting to come out of it just as they were finishing up.  He woke up quickly and the doctor was surprised that he could get up and walk right after the drug wore off.  Keith and my dad gave Jonah a blessing and they had Jonah rest for a little while and then we were able to take him home.

Yesterday I took off the dressing and cleaned the wound.  I was amazed at how good it already looks. I was relieved all over again to see it because I just keep picturing that horrible gash in his leg.

I had to take a picture of him sleeping that night.  I am so proud of Jonah for how well he handled everything.  I couldn't believe how calm and rational he was.  He is being an amazing sport about the whole thing.  He was so disappointed that I had to pull him out of flag football that starts this Saturday, but he hasn't complained.  The doctors don't want him playing sports for a few weeks.  He had to sit inside the office during recess yesterday and he didn't complain about that either.  He also got invited to an ice skating party this Saturday and isn't complaining about that either. I'm amazed at how well he is doing with not being able to be active. 

Jonah has loved all of the attention and love people have shown him and so have I!  I put up his picture and story on Facebook and he wanted to keep reading everyone's comments on Sunday.  On Sunday Mel and her family, my parents, Keith's parents and the Dartons stopped by to visit and bring Jonah a treat.  I told Jonah that there are always good things that come out of bad things and one of the good things about this is that he gets to see how much everyone loves him.  I know Jonah and I were both blessed with peace so we were able to be calm that night.  I'm so grateful to know that no matter what happens Heavenly Father is always there to bless us.