My Accident


On July 6, 2002 I had a terrible accident, one that may effect me for the rest of my life…Greg and his family had come down on the 4th to spend a few days before they went on vacation to Disney World…We wanted to take Jonathan to the beach for the very first time before they went…So on the afternoon of the 6th we went down to the beach. Had been there about an hour and a half and I decided to walk down to the edge of the water to wash the sand off my feet and put my shoes on. I lifted my left foot to put my shoe on and the movement of the water caused my right foot to twist and I lost my balance and fell in the water. I knew right away that I had a problem and wouldn’t be able to get up. Turned around and looked at my family to let them know that I needed help. Wasn’t long before I started passing out, with the help of some people at the beach and emt’s they kept my foot elevated until the ambulance could get there. Had my very first ambulance ride. I spent a long time in the ER, xrays showed my ankle was broken in 3 places. Doctor said it was the worst break possible. I was admitted to the hospital with surgery scheduled for Sunday Morning, July 7th. When the surgery was over I had 11 screws and a plate in my ankle and a cast. The screws and plate are in my ankle for the rest of my life. Came home Monday but not allowed to put my foot on the floor or pick up anything. Was given two weeks off from work at that time.

Went back for my first check up July 18th. Saw my foot for the first time, it looked awful. Won’t go into detail as to how bad it was. Xrays were taken again and it showed my foot was healing but still have a long road ahead of me. Have a new cast, another two weeks off from work, so I am now on leave of absence. I still can’t put any weight on my foot or do anything at all. My next check up with be Aug. 1st.

Other than worrying if my foot will heal ok, the hardest thing for me is not being able to do anything. It is so hard to just sit at home. I can’t drive or get in and out of my house by myself. Thank goodness for friends and family. The calls, cards and flowers have meant so much. Also my chat friends trying to keep my spirits up.

I will keep updating this page as I heal.

This is the xray the doctor gave my after surgery.
You can see all my hardware.
I just realized this picture is upside down.

This is my cast.
Nice legs huh?


This was taken after I got the 3rd cast.

I have needed to update this page for awhile now. I finally got the cast off on Oct. 4, 2002 after spending 13 weeks in it. At that time I was able to walk ok but slowly as I still had a long way to go. I was able to walk without a limp and was thankful for that. After several weeks I tried to start back walking like I was doing before the accident. Started out just a short walk and very slow. Kept adding the distance a little at the time. Today is March 9, 2003 and I'm happy to say my foot is still doing really well. I can now walk my 2 1/2 miles at a time like I was doing before my accident. I might also add that I can go at about the same pace as before. I have so much to be thankful for. My foot does not give me any problems and I don't have any pain from it. I was really afraid that the weather changes might effect it but so far that is not the case. This was a hard time in my life but I do believe I am a stronger person today and so thankful that I do not have any major health problems. I want to thank everyone for their love, support and prayers during this time in my life.

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