Some Things Never Change

As a new parent, I often found myself quietly walking into the baby’s bedroom just to watch their chest rise and fall. I hadn’t heard a peep from the baby in the hours since I put them to sleep. I merely wanted to make sure the baby was still breathing. The night after Este's concussion both Aaron and I went in to check on him. It is even more interesting to check on your baby boy who is almost 18 years old. I was watching my baby who happens to be the size of a man. It doesn't matter. He will always be my baby boy. Some things never change.

Aaron and I were both anxious the night we returned from the ER. The doctors told us since the CT scans and x-rays were clear we did not need to wake him up throughout the night. That didn’t help us sleep any better though. We were still concerned about our baby.

Esteban’s early morning seminary teacher is an orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine doctor. We visited him in his office the next morning.  That is when I discovered that Este has never watched The Price is Right. I grew up on that show.

Anyway, before the appointment, Aaron and I were more worried about his back and less worried about his concussion. We were wrong. The back injury was only a muscle strain. It would heal quickly. The concussion, however, was very serious. He had suffered a stage 3 concussion. It is one of the worst. Este’s concussion was in the top 5% of bad concussions. There could be ramifications that would affect the rest of his life. If he returned to the football field before he was completely healed and had another hit of equal impact, he could die instantly. It is called second hit syndrome.

Este struggled to remember and recall information. Memorizing while recovering from this injury would be damaging to his brain. Esteban has worked to maintain straight A’s throughout his school life.  Academics come easy to him. He was in the middle of applying for academic scholarships all over the country. It all had to come to a halt until he recovered. His brain was functioning at less than 50% of normal. He was struggling to remember simple facts.  We emailed his school counselor, who in turn emailed all his teachers. He would be allowed to come and go to school as he felt up to it. He was not to take any quizzes or tests until he was better. He would be given special treatment as long as needed.

The doctor asked Este what his favorite TV show was. Este explained that he didn’t have time to watch TV. The doctor explained him that his life just changed. He was ordered to watch TV or play mindless video games. He needed to rest and he needed to let his brain rest.

That sounds easy enough. The problem is we had scheduled painters to repaint our house.  As Este tried to rest and relax and as people came over to visit him, they were greeted by a great big mess.

Coaches, friends, neighbors, and family tromped over the drop clothes and past the open cans of paint  to visit Este. The outpouring of love and concern was overwhelming. It was amazing to see all the people who were worried about him.  Jace drew a wonderful get well soon card for Este. Jace's smile was big enough for the both of them.

Ethan later asked if it was hard for me to hear about how damaging and serious the concussion could be. He asked if it was hard to hear that my son could die. I told Ethan that the hardest thing for me was when I first saw him. Ethan had been on the field that day in practice. He did not see the hit but he saw Este laying there unconscious. He saw the seizure. Ethan thought he was going to watch his brother die that day. It really shook him up. He held it together since he is a big strong teenage boy and he was with his football friends and teammates but I could see the concern and fear in his eyes and that was the hardest part of this whole ordeal.

I love watching my boys grow up. I enjoy being with them and deep down inside I even enjoy it when they give me a hard time and tease me. The thing is no matter how big they get, they are all three taller than me now, they will always be my little boys. I will always be concerned about their welfare. I don’t want to see them sick or injured. I will always recognize fear and sadness in their face. I will always be their mother. Like I said, some things never change.

Roller Coaster

You know when life seems to be going up and then before you know it, life is headed back down. Life is a roller coaster, compete with a variety of twists and turns ups and downs.

Just a few days after Este was receiving attention for being crowned Homecoming King, he was receiving a attention for a very different reason.

During football practice early in the next week he tackled a kid at full speed. Este went in to the tackle with his head down. His head collided with the kid's thigh pad. Este felt the impact run down his neck and into his back. He went down. The next thing he remembers is waking up from a dream and being confused as to why his coach was in his face asking if he was ok. He remembered what happened and moved his feet just to make sure he still could. The coaches wanted to call the ambulance but Este told them he could get up and walk. They escorted him to the trainer's room.

The coaches called Aaron and I to come to the school immediately. Upon arrival they filled us in on the events. His vital signs were good at that time but we all knew he needed to be evaluated by a doctor. He didn't want to go to the emergency room in his football pads so the trainer took him into the locker room to help him change. At that point it became obvious that he was having difficulty breathing. He was struggling for air and had difficulty talking. His breathes were labored and shallow. The trainer brought him back into the training room with the rest of his pads still on. We faced the decision of calling the ambulance or transporting him ourselves to the emergency room. Aaron's response was, "I grew up on a farm where we yanked people off the barbed wire fence, threw them in the back of the car, and drove them to the hospital." My response was "My dad is the emergency manager and ambulance supervisor in my hometown." The trainer smiled and told us we had to decide. Because his vital signs were still fairly stable, our compromise was that I would drive Este to a free standing ER just a few minutes away. If his condition became worse or the doctor's felt he needed more than they would transfer him to the hospital. We left immediately. He was still dressed in his football pads, had no shoes on, and still had grass on his face from the hit. I told Este I would be fine to take him but he would have to warn me if he felt like he was going to pass out again because so much smaller than him I needed ample warning if I had to catch him on the way down.

When we arrived at the ER they immediately put a C-collar on him, started an IV, and ordered CT Scan and chest x-rays. We waited.

The room was FREEZING!! They brought Este a warm blanket  because his sweat had made him wet and he was shivering. I didn't know how to ask for a warm blanket for me since I wasn't a patient. I thought about crawling next to Este and sharing his blanket but, he smelled really bad. I decided the smell was worse than the cold temps. I endured it on my own.

The x-rays and CT scan came back clear. No damage done to his neck and back. The diagnosis was a concussion and back sprain. We needed to follow up with our doctor. He was supposed to miss school the next day and just take it easy. This photo was posted online by one of his friends asking the school to come together in prayer on Este's behalf. Although we may differ in our beliefs, we do not differ in our faith in God.  I was so very grateful for each and every person who prayed on his behalf. It's important that we all strive to help each other on this roller coaster we call life.