On Tuesday, February 8, 2011 our sweet little Elizabeth, had a ski accident and broke her right tibia. That's the bigger bone on the bottom of the leg, in front. It is a spiral fracture, meaning it wraps around the bone. Dr. Brown said she also has a small fibula fracture across the bottom of the bone, by the growth plate. Elizabeth is in 5th grade. She was in the red class this year, meaning one from the top level, I am told. It was the end of the day, she was skiing down St. Joseph's bowl on Dreamcatcher during the free time, skiing with her friends Tanner Huff and Kirsten Eck. We still don't really understand what happened, but she ended up taking a tumble, which the ski patroller saw from above. When she didn't get up, he skiied to her and found her with her foot facing the wrong direction!
I had been helping Driggs Elementary School with their winter sports program, teaching beginners. That particular day was quite cold. Elizabeth and Carl usually ride home with me, but that morning, Elizabeth had asked if she could ride the bus home. Carl's face was red, so I decided to leave about 1/2 hour ealier than the bus. I had just gotten down, almost to Alta, when I received a call from Alisha Horrocks. She said she thought Elizabeth was hurt, but that she thought I was with Elizabeth. I told her I wasn't, she said she'd check things out and call me back. She called back and said it was my Elizabeth, and asked if I wanted an ambulance or if I wanted to come back up. I wanted to come back up. We ended up canceling the ambulance, but I hadn't realized that the ambulance was almost up there. I ended up passing it on it's way back down when I was almost back to Grand Targhee. Carl was in the back, and after a while, he asked me why I kept saying, "Judist Priest" over and over? I hadn't realized I was doing it.
I found poor Elizabeth in the First Aid area. She was started and sad, but her fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Davis was ther with her, along with the ski patrol guy. They had her leg packed up. The patroller and I loaded Elizabeth into our Suburban. Carl and I felt sad for her. We started the long drive back down.
We got to the hospital, had the x-rays, found the spiral break. She didnt' need surgery, but had to be anesthetized, so they could "put it back in place, manuall". She couldnt' keep her oxygen sats up, so we didn't get to go home until about midnight.
The first week was very hard. First, we couldn't keep her pain under control, then we had to get anti-nausea medicine, then she had to learn to use the wheelchair and crutches. For the first week and a half, she wasn't tough enough to lift her own leg, which has a hip to toe splint on, by herself, so I held her leg up while she limped around the house.
Now, we're almost two weeks out, and she did go back to school last Monday, she has learned to use the borrowed wheelchair, she can now lift her own leg, so she can use crutches. At two weeks, she will switch from the splint to a cast the same size for two weeks, then supposedly a cast below the knee for 4 weeks, then a walking boot, so it's a three month recovery plan.
We have been amazed at her classmates. They help her so much. Tanner and Kirsten have stuck by her. They wheel her around, bring her lunch to her, stay in at recess and play on the computer. We're grateful that the ski patroller found her quickly. We're grateful for her nice fifth grade teacher, who is trying very hard to accomodate Elizabeth.
In the photo, you see Elizabeth with all her gifts from friends and family who love her. You also see the fancy crutches she and Grandma White put together, so Elizabeth could be fashionable.
We think we're going to make it!