This blog post is part of a series that I began for telling our story. You can read the first post here.
I don’t remember if my husband first got the phone call, or if I did. If I was working, I couldn’t use my cell phone, a policy for keeping teachers and aides focused on the children instead of their phones. My memory is a bit fuzzy, but I do know that I learned the news of the accident and within hours plans had been made and I was heading north.
My sister was riding with her oldest daughter (who was, I believe, about 7 at the time?). The horse got spooked for some reason and bucked them off. Instinctively, the mama in her took charge and focused on keeping her daughter safe. So as they landed, she did not catch herself but held onto her girl, and took the full weight on her hip.
We knew it was bad – x-rays had confirmed at least three fractures in her pelvis. It would be months before she would understand the full extend of the damage, however. Meanwhile, she had given birth to her 4th baby just a couple of months before, and that little girl was our god-daughter.
My sister spent several days in the hospital (3? 4? maybe more?). Meanwhile, I got on a plane and flew to Omaha, where my mom picked me up. She still lived in Nebraska then. The two of us drove up to Minnesota and stayed with the older three kids at camp while my brother-in-law stayed at the hospital with my sister and the baby.
She was in so much pain… and the hospital was really cold and dry. I got a bloody nose while hanging out in the waiting room one of the days, which hadn’t happened to me in years. The baby was stressed, because my sister spent the first night at the hospital without her. In fact, for weeks afterwards the baby would start screaming the minute my sister would leave the room.
On the last day of her hospital stay, I drove all over town to gather things. I bought a t-shirt for my brother-in-law (I think their stay may have extended past when they had planned/packed for), picked up a temporary handicap parking permit for the car, and a few other things that are fuzzy in my mind now. I just remember struggling with an old-school gps to get around and find my bearings. So thankful for smart phones…
From the moment my sister left the hospital, things got interesting…
Next post coming tomorrow.
Blooming Joy! 
I remember that day well. We campers all just passed babies around and took care of everyone’s baby that was taking care of Mark and Allison’s baby. It was a nice way to take care of someone else’s needs. In the 30+ years we have been going to camp, there have been a couple times when we all worked together for the good of others. Our favorite place in the world!!!!
Pingback: Others having kids | Blooming Joy!