Jane and I were just getting a good start in her bedroom sorting through some of the things she had bought for some of her family members into boxes to be mailed. The handyman she hired to fix a few things came over and she was explaining to him what she wanted him to do. I knew from the conversation it might be a while before we got back to our work of sorting. I went around the corner to take out some laundry from the dryer to be folded. I had barely folded the second item and I heard a crash. I ran around the corner and found Jane on the living room floor screaming call 911 that she had broken her wrist. Matt, the handyman, come running back in the front door. He had just closed the front storm door when Jane fell. As I was calling 911, he was pressing the Life Alert button on Jane’s neck strap. After the ambulance was called to come, I ran into the kitchen and got a bag of frozen vegetables to put under Jane’s wrist. Her wrist was starting to swell. As I looked at her poor wrist, I could really see the displaced bone pushed up. I remember from my experience of when I broke my right hand several years ago about the severe swelling and not having someone to get me something frozen on my hand immediately. My hand looked like a huge softball.

When the ambulance finally arrived, the paramedics praised Matt and me for the quick response and putting the frozen vegetable bag under her wrist. The male paramedic told me that was the right thing to do to help her not be in so much pain. Jane was talking and even laughing with the paramedics. I could not believe she was laughing. I think she was in shock. She kept reassuring me that she was fine, but was feeling slight pain. She gave me some instructions on where to find her insurance cards and list of medications and her hospital medication bag. I quickly got them so the paramedics could take it with her to the hospital. I stayed to lock up her condo and ride with Matt to the hospital.

Matt dropped me off at the hospital and I went looking for Jane in the emergency room. At first, I thought that she was taking up to surgery, because the information lady as you enter the ER did not have her name on a list. I told her she was just brought by ambulance. We eventually found Jane. She was sitting up on the bed still holding onto her vegetable bag. I asked her if I could pray with her and we prayed. Within a few minutes, her little room was cramped with personnel. I stepped out so they could do their work on her. Helen, one of her emergency contacts, arrived and we spoke in the hallway. My family member came and was clearly upset that Jane had been injured. I reassured him Jane was doing fine considering her wrist condition. I truly thought that she was going to be admitted to the hospital. I asked about going back to the condo and finishing some work clearing off her bed from where we were sorting things that morning. I knew when she got back to her home; she wouldn’t be able to do this by herself. She gave me her permission.

My family member drove me back to Jane’s condo. I did clear the bed, stacked boxes neatly so she could walk through her bedroom with ease, folded the rest of her laundry and washed her dishes. As I was starting to water all of her plants, the phone started ringing. I was not sure whether to answer it or not, so I let it ring to go to the answering machine. At the last second something told me to answer it, it was Helen informing me that Jane and her were on the way to Jane’s. I opened the garage door because I knew it would be easier for them to walk up her ramp in her garage into her home.
We got Jane seated in the living room in her recliner. I made her a cup of hot tea that she requested. We all talked about what the ER doctor recommended for her. She was to call Dr. Engdahl and go see him tomorrow. Dr. Engdahl is an orthopedic surgeon. She thanked us all for the quick response in handling everything with her. I asked her if she wanted me to stay with her overnight. I knew she was going to have a difficult time. Her friend, Helen, volunteered to stay overnight with her. So we departed with the understanding if they needed me to come, all they had to do was call.

I felt bad about her getting hurt. She says she tripped on a paper grocery bag. She had placed 4 bags in the living room sorting magazines prior to my arrival that morning. I had moved them over closer to the couch so she would not trip over them. She does have a habit of grabbing onto a small wooden lightweight teacart, which did go over with her when she fell. I pray her wrist heals quickly after the surgery. She is 89 years old. Keep her in prayer please.