Broken Wings

Yup, life can change in a heart beat.

I was super excited Sunday morning getting ready for my long roady. Mindy and I were going to do a 90km loop.

Even soaked the steel cut oats in water overnight.

It had rained in the night. I set the odometer to 0 and clipped in with a smile on my face.

Was pretty stoked to be heading out with my new back wheel. I’d broken a few spokes and had a loaner on for a while. Yesterday I managed the newbie. Wow I had so much more power.

I took to the streets with some speed. But when I went to cross the train tracks somehow, my back end fishtailed out and I went down hard. Very hard. Hip, shoulder, then head.

I knew it was bad. I had to gasp for air.

Seconds passed and I was able to move my weight to my right side off my hip. I could see cars driving by.

Then I heard someone come up behind me.

“Are you OK? Can you get up.”

“No, I replied. I can’t move.”

In fits of calmness I asked for help. My phone. Somewhere behind me. He called 911. I called my son.

“Kyle, I went down really hard off my bike. I need you to come and get my bike for me – NOW.”

I was a block away from meeting Mindy. So I asked a fellow cyclists to hook up for me.

At this point many people were stopping to put blankets on me and ask if they could help.

That dang pavement is hard!

At one point while waiting for the ambulance I had my son sit behind me to prop me up.

I’d known child birth. Non-medicated. The pain was right up there. I knew I’d done something bad to my pelvis.

The nurse who took to my care remained positive.

“Probably a bad tear.”

I imagined it. My cleat. The release.

But as I rolled over to x-ray my body went into shock. I’d known the feeling from a previous bike accident. Same hip. Same side. But in the past case – a lot more road rash.

She convinced me when I got out of x-ray to take the shot of morphine.

Then she told me it looked like I had a couple fractures.

We talked a lot about cycling. Riding in a pack. She’s signed up to do the 140km Ryder Hesjedal’s Tour de Victoria. Nervous about riding in the packs.

I gave her my insights. “You’re gonna love it!”

The day wore on and the pain subsided. I was later told I fractured my left superior and inferior pubic ramus (pelvis) and the distal end of my clavicle in my left shoulder.

Awakening to the realization I’m going to need a lot of healing, one by one I alerted family, friends and co-workers.

I’m receiving amazing care.

Yesterday I was able to stand and take a few baby steps. I’m now able to pivot myself to the port-pottie even!

But when I woke up yesterday morning in a hospital bed, not even 24 hours later I thought it was all a bad dream.

Truth be known I shed a few.

The day drew on and I sat back to do my work as best I could.

Gotta keep the sanity.

Friends and even my boss came in for hugs.
The day’s recital went like this:

“I’m so grateful I didn’t break my head. I don’t need surgery and yes – I will heal!”

It’s temporary.

The broken wings.