It Started Out as a Great Adventure
Last Saturday, August 5th my husband and his friend Gary invited me on what should have been a benign mountain bike ride. We were halfway up to Bogus Basin where a newer trail had been opened that looked pretty beginner/intermediate. Neither my husband nor his friend Gary had been on the trail before, but judging by the pictures and descriptions everyone, including me, thought that at my current skill level, I was prepared for this trail.
The first 4 miles were quite flat and the trail was very wide..as if riding in a meadow. There were some areas that were a little rocky and I had to learn to go over some cattle bridges that were a bit tricky, however after walking the first one, I seamlessly passed over the other 3 with little difficulty. One thing I was really trying to practice was the concept of looking 10-15 feet ahead. In mountain biking, if you look ahead on the trail you will stay on the narrow single track, but if you take your eyes off the trail for a second, things can go very wrong.
Victory Before Disaster
After the 4th cattle bridge, I was feeling more confident. I remember going around this large ravine and climbing up the hill which required maneuvering around large boulders and rocks…a little more than I bargained for. Yet after climbing to the top I could see my husband about 30 feet ahead and I gave a huge yell out with pride saying “I did it…I’m doing it!” Seconds later, when I looked back down, I saw my right tire veering off the right side of the single track into some bushes. At first I thought, I’ve been here before…and I’m just gonna fall flat in the bushes and get right back up. However, within a split second, I could feel the pull of my bike over the mountain, and all I remember thinking was “Save your shoulders!”
The next thing I remember was hearing my husband scream at the top of his lungs “Nooooo!” and I was flying in the air head-first over the mountain with my arms spread wide. I remember hitting my face in the dry branches of a bush and my face scraping the brush…then a few tumbles…and an abrupt stop. Dave, my husband yelled to me as I assessed my body. I was completely alert and oriented…check! My shoulders were both moving without any apparent injury…check! My neck, back and spine appeared to be without any trauma…check! My wrists and arms were without any seeable damage besides scrapes…check! Then I looked at my left foot and it didn’t look right. I tried to pull my left leg with both hands and saw my foot dangling like a dead fish and I could feel my bone sticking out of my ankle…my sock was covered in blood. I yelled a loud profanity ****! Dave said “hearing me yell something appropriate let him know where I was at the bottom of the hill, and told him I was alive.”
It wasn’t long before Dave and Gary were 25-30 down the mountain on foot with me assessing the situation. I was 4 miles into a mountain trail. Far from any emergency personnel and so far down a 30% grade that there was no way I was gonna either try to scoot up the hill or be carried safely. 911 was called and the cell service was spotty but the operator was incredible and tried to keep us all calm while notifying us that help was on the way.
My Angels on the Mountain
Two hikers arrived that appeared to be in their late 70s and came running down the hill to the scene. Then one of them, Edie, offered to splint my ankle with her walking stick and somehow had Tramadol and Tylenol in her bag. She asked me to take it, which I initially refused having no clue who she was or what medication she was really trying to offer. Then her husband Tom said “we’re both retired physicians and please take the meds as it’s gonna be quite some time before help gets to you.” I took the meds and Edie laid my ankle over her leg to help support it. All of us were sliding and trying to stay put on this 30% grade without further injury. Dave had to go up the hill to keep cell phone connection with the 911 operator. Gary rode his bike to the parking lot to summon the medical response team and lead them to me.
I’m a woman of faith… and I have to say that once I assessed the situation, there was such a sense of peace that I was gonna be okay. I thanked my parents who I believe were my angels on that mountain. The way I fell, it was a miracle I had no head trauma or other significant injuries. There was really no explanation other than a miracle. Then how random was it that the 2 hikers behind me were retired physicians? Seriously, I was extremely blessed, and despite the pain…you will see pics with me smiling with a huge grin as I was filled with extreme gratitude.
The Ropes and Rescue Team/Fire Department Rescue
I could hear the sound of medical professionals arriving on electric motorcycles, and soon I was engulfed by about 12 men who began to place my leg in a blow-up cast and place me on a yellow stretcher. They joked with me to keep me calm. They orchestrated a plan that was in multiple parts, requiring them to carry me up the mountain and avoid the trail as they knew they needed to get me to the ambulance via the fastest route. So they carried me up that 30% grade tied to ropes so they didn’t fall. Then they placed me on some type of device that had one large off-road wheel with a table on the top so that they could roll me a portion of the trail to the next point of adventure. They then had to again carry me on foot up another very steep mountain to a utility vehicle that was waiting for me with paramedics. I was placed into the back of the UTV and had another couple-mile ride to the top of the trail where the ambulance was awaiting me. After being stabilized in the ambulance, we then had to drive the winding mountain road down from Bogus and take me to St. Alphonsus the Trauma Hospital.
Arrival at the Trauma Hospital
I was a trauma social worker for many years, so I knew what was ahead of me. I was wheeled into the trauma room, where a multitude of staff were awaiting me, cutting all my clothes off, and assessing the damage. The trauma surgeon yelled, “We know her leg is broken…now look for what’s not obvious!” The team did their thorough exam, placed me in a C-Collar, pulled on my leg to straighten it, and sent me to CAT Scan.
Fortunately, all of my body was cleared from injury other than the Tibia and Fibula fracture. I met with the surgeon who informed me that I would be headed to surgery but that this was the first of 2 surgeries that I would be having.
I awakened in a hospital room with what they call an External Effixor…which essentially means that I had a rod sticking through my heel and 2 large screws in my shin with this large metal framed apparatus. Apparently they couldn’t fix the fracture initially due to the swelling because they wouldn’t have been able to close up my surgical incision with how swollen I was. To avoid a wound vac and a greater chance of infection, I was placed in this device until the swelling goes down enough for the second surgery. So let me just be clear…my bones are floating inside my leg…not attached to anything…and any time I move, I can feel them move!
Still Holding onto Gratitude
I’ve been home since Wednesday the 9th, and I’ve been trying to see some clients via telehealth. I’m not taking any mind-altering pain meds…in fact, while the pain gets bad at times…ice and Tylenol seem to be the best defense. I can’t stand for more than 2 minutes as being upright causes the blood to rush to the injury. I have to hop with a front wheel walker on one leg, using my upper body strength to push on the walker. I am completely dependent on others for all self-care. I require extensive wound care which my Hubby is now a rockstar at. Yet, despite all the pain, the struggle, and all that is still ahead…I am still smiling with gratitude, as I am alive and I survived what I likely should not have.
I am a living miracle and I will never take that for granted. My neighbors have rallied around me to provide daily meals for us, and I couldn’t be more appreciative of their generosity. Life sometimes offers us struggle, but it’s all about perspective and how we choose to see the situation. May this blog help you put your own life circumstances into check so that you too can live with gratitude and joy despite adversity.
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