Blogging From Modesto

On Sunday, my wife and I were walking the Catican Guards when I got a phone call. It was a strange area code and the woman on the other end identified herself as a nurse at a hospital in Modesto. My son had been in a car crash and was in the hospital with various injuries.

I returned the Guards to their posts and drove the 7 hours from San Diego to Modesto. My son had a few cracked ribs and a neck injury, but no permanent damage. He had been at a leadership conference in the Bay Area and fell asleep at the wheel while driving back to college in SoCal. I'm up here in Modesto now after a day spent at the hospital with my boy. Here are some observations from a tired, addled brain.

• There are good ways and bad ways to learn you are mortal. This was a good way. It has all of the self-recrimination and none of the lasting physical damage.


• Modesto is restaurant-impoverished.


• Nurses are beautiful people. All of the nurses taking care of my son have been competent, caring people.


• Doctors are like leprechauns. No one ever sees them, you just hear about them. My son's doctor was supposed to show up today, but never made his rounds. They said he'd had several operations to perform, but I know better.


• My son is now sporting a neck brace and is being treated as if he has a spinal injury, even though his actual injuries are moderate. They take three people to turn him and when they do, they treat him like he was paralyzed to keep the neck immobile.


• The last time they did this today I had a flash of what it would be like were he actually paralyzed. I teared up, picturing what it must be like to be at your son's bedside waiting for him to move a finger or a toe.


• I love my family. Caring for my son is no chore. I was able to drop everything and motor up to Modesto because my wife and other kids would take care of things at home. I am very blessed.

I'm sure there are lots of other things to note, but I'm running out of steam for the night. I'm so grateful to God that it wasn't worse and I've had all the support I needed.