The Curve Ball

Every now and then life gives you a curve ball as a way of getting your attention. As I sat in the hospital cafeteria waiting for my father to return once again from the x-ray department, I realized the “curve ball” definition definitely applied to the current situation.

Dad was involved in a motor vehicle accident on a Sunday morning as he returned home from visiting with my brother and his family in the city. It’s been said most accidents take place close to home. True to form, dad’s collision occurred less than five minutes from our place.

We were sleeping when the phone rang. It was my father telling us he’d been in an accident and he thought his leg was broken. While the initial news sent an adrenalin rush of fear through my system, I found a modicum of comfort in the knowledge it was Dad who made the call. He was alive and lucid – both EXCELLENT factors.

The rescue team was on the scene and went to work quickly. One group worked on removing the occupant of the other vehicle while the remainder discussed ways to get dad out. In the end, they decided to cut off the back passenger door, recline his seat and slide him out. It worked wonderfully and soon Dad was on his way to the hospital.

“I’ve never been in an accident and I’ve never broken a bone in my body,” Dad once stated. Being nearly 71 years old, that’s not a bad record – but it’s over now!

Hospitals are notorious for making you play the “waiting game.” Though it’s understandable because there are so many patients to look after, when it’s one of your loved ones in pain, the wait is interminable and patience runs thin.

Nearly ten hours after the accident, Dad was admitted to a bed on the trauma ward. With his right leg in a brace to immobilize it, and the hard plastic neck brace he’d worn from the scene finally changed to a softer, foam version, he looked more at ease than he had in hours.

It seemed as though a lifetime had passed since we received his call about the accident. The realization that life can change in a blink of an eye was foremost in my mind on the ride home. Scenarios of “what could have been” danced in my head and I considered the day to be a huge blessing. Dad only suffered a broken femur on his right leg, some scratches and bruised ribs on his right side from the pressure of lying awkwardly against the console while fire fighters extracted him from the car. He was very lucky.

While it’s easy to point the finger of blame, I’m a firm believer in the concept of everything happening for a reason. Though I’m not sure what the reason would be in this case, I have faith there is one. The fact that the other vehicle involved was the ONLY vehicle dad met on his way home accounts for some kind of sign in my books.
It’s too bad that it sometimes takes a curve ball such as an accident to make you fully appreciate the gift of having others in your life.

Peace