Take It From The Top!

Well, I thought it was about time I began to share our story and how God placed us on this new path that He has chosen for Our Lives!

We moved to Spruce Pine three years ago and in our yard is a Red Bud tree. Claire climbed that tree almost every single day since we moved here!! Her personal goal was to make it to the top of that tree! She was a very good tree climber!!

About 6:45pm on Wednesday, July 16th she made it to the top of that tree!!! She told me so several times the evening of July 16th! As she was coming back down a limb broke causing her to fall to the ground (probably between 6~8 feet)!

WOW!! This is harder than I thought, the words are just not coming to me!?

Abbigayle was in Atlanta and Jeff had just returned home from a business trip. Jeff went to CVS and Pizza Hut and then we were going to church to help "clean-up"! I went downstairs to change out laundry, Claire and Caroline went outside. As I was changing out clothes, Caroline came running to the basement yelling "It's an emergency, Claire has fallen out of the tree!" I think I made it from the basement to Claire's side in about 5 steps! Caroline was so brave to run and get me, I am so proud of how calm she stayed and how fast she ran!! Way to go Caroline!!!

When I got to Claire's side she was sitting up holding her right elbow with her left hand. I asked her if she could wiggle her fingers, she did. I picked her up and ran her to the car (we live less than a mile from the hospital)! I called our dear friends and neighbors, the Stricklands, and told Michelle I was taking Claire to the hospital and she sent her oldest son Eli to get Caroline and Sarah. While I drove Claire to the hospital, I called and left Jeff a message to meet us there.

Claire was our one child that we always felt we would end up in the ER with!! Not because she was careless, she was always very careful but very adventurous! If it could be swung on, climbed up~down~on~over, jumped up~down~on or over she would try it!!

I carried Claire through the ER doors within minutes of her fall!! I was asked the necessary questions and signed the necessary paperwork and then they called Claire's name to go back into the patient care area.

Claire's arm was broken just above her elbow and even though the bone did not break through the skin, I knew from the moment I saw her arm that it was broken, however, as soon as the nurse began to assess Claire I grasped the seriousness of her injury. Even though the nurse was not alarming, I have been in way too many patient assessments to not have noticed that she was concerned about something. She attempted several times to feel a pulse in the lower part of Claire's arm. She explained that she could not feel a pulse and that she would have another nurse check; however, sometimes in breaks like Claire's the arteries can get pinched causing the blood not to flow to the lower part of the arm. I knew in that moment that we may be looking at a surgery for Claire. Even before we left our driveway I began praying to God for His mercies upon my child, but I know my pleas were elevated to a new level in those moments.

I carried Claire as the nurse walked us down the hallway into another room where a second nurse attempted to locate a pulse on Claire's arm, to no avail. About this time Jeff came walking through the door and Claire and I both sensed his calming presence. The ER doctor was in Claire's room moments later to meet us and assess Claire's condition, again, no pulse was detected in Claire's arm. An X-Ray Technician walked into the room with a portable X-Ray machine, he was so wonderful and gentle with Claire. He successfully had pictures of Claire's fracture in moments. The orthapedic surgeon walked into our room shortly thereafter, and stated they were very concerned about Claire's arm and felt they needed to send her to Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem "and I don't mean tomorrow!" He and the ER staff immediately began making arrangements for Claire to be transferred to Baptist, because she needed a Pediatric Vascular Surgeon to operate on her and they had the closest one. Dr. Flint felt Claire was medically stable enough to be transferred by ground transportation and would arrive at Baptist as fast or faster than air ambulance.

By 8:45pm Claire was placed in the back of an ambulance and I was allowed to ride in the back with her. Jeff got in our car and we took off on the ride of our life!

Let me just stop here and share with you the mercies that we see throughout this story thus far:
#1 Jeff had been home about an hour!
#2 Caroline remained calm and ran immediately to get me!
#3 Claire was sitting up, alert and conscience when I got to her!
#4 Michelle was home!
#5 We live less than a mile from the hospital!
#6 The Emergency Room was not busy!!
#7 Dr. Flint (orthopedist) was in the hospital at 7pm!
#8 The ambulance was in Spruce Pine, not out of town transporting another patient!
#9 I was allowed to ride in the back of the ambulance with Claire!
#10 Claire made it to the top of the tree and she knew she had!!!! :)