BREAK
5 years ago…
“You need to take her to the hospital right now!” she said. My head was filled with confusion and fear when everyone jerked their heads to face me.
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“Can we get into the car now?” my mom asked. My sister and I looked at each other and then jumped out of bed. I pulled on my favorite red leotard and my sister Ava put on her smelly socks and shoes. I was so scared because it was my 1st gymnastics practice at a new gym. When I got in the humid car I didn’t even talk because my stomach was filled with butterflies.
I walked into the hot and stinky gym that looked pretty ugly. Once I was done scoping out the place a coach came over to my mom and I. “Hi sweetie. Are you Catalina?” the coach asked.
“Yes.” I said quietly.
“Hi, I am April.” said the coach. She then took my hand and guided me onto the floor. I did some back walkovers and cartwheels for the rest of the event.
I walked over to beam with my hands shaking. I hated beam more than anything. Who thought of doing flips on a 4 inch wide metal platform? (I know I didn’t.) But I knew I had to be brave so I carefully climbed onto the top of the beam. “How about we do some kicks.” April said. Everyone sighed but I grinned. This was the one thing I wasn’t terrible at on beam. I swung my right leg into the air as hard as I could until it reached my nose. But then I feel myself falling backward... and the nightmare began. My butt slammed onto the beam and I started to fall. My left arm swung around and stopped me from falling to my face. For a millimeter of a second I was happy but then I felt a horrible and agonizing pain in my arm. I let out the loudest scream and looked down at my arm. The bone had gone sideways and was hardly staying in my skin. All of the coaches rushed over to me with terrified looks on their faces.
They wrapped my arm in ice and carried me to the lobby. Ava held my hand and my mom called my aunt to come and take Ava. A couple minutes later a coach carried me out to my mom’s car and put me in the backseat. My mom opened the door with a look of panic in her eyes, but I could tell she was trying to stay calm which made me feel better.
Twenty minutes later we pulled into a parking spot. “Are you ok?” my mom asked.
“Ah… no.” I responded trembling.
My mom got out of the car and slowly picked me up. She dropped me in a wheelchair and wheeled me into the hospital. My mom told a receptionist what had happened. We waited in a chair for 15 minutes and then a nurse came out. She took me into the x-ray room and told me to relax. The nurse wheeled me next to a metal platform. My arm was lined up right next to it. The nurse then walked out of the room. I heard a click and then she came back in. My mom came into the x-ray room and wheeled me through the hallway. We then went into a room with a white hospital bed. The nurse and my mom lift me onto the bed, I lean my head back then feel a pinch in my right arm. I sit back up and there is a needle in my arm. My mom comes over and holds my hand. I look at her and then i close my eyes.
When I woke up, my right arm had and my left arm had 3 needles sticking out of cotton surrounding my arm. I looked around confused but then my mom came into the room and filled me in on what had happened after the IV. I had broken my humerus bone and they had to do surgery to put it back into place. I also had to have needles put into the bone to keep the 2 separate bones together.
The nurse that took my x-rays entered my room with a stretchy, purple colored wrap. She started to wrap it around the cotton and my arm became more and more stiff. When she was done I was told that I could go home. I was thrilled to hear that news. I was so tired and I wanted to sleep in my own bed.
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As I was walking into the house my grandma, my cousin, my aunt, my sister, and my dad were all there. They rushed over to me and gave me a huge hug with a smile on their face. Then they all handed me a balloon. I was happy for the first time in 18 hours. I finally felt safe again with my family.
Works Cited
Beam. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Feb. 2017. <https://www.matsmatsmats.com/images/gymnastics/4inch-wide-suede-beam-lg.jpg>.
Cast. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Feb. 2017. <http://meds.queensu.ca/central/assets/modules/cast-application/long_arm.jpg>.
Gabby Douglas. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Feb. 2017. <https://cbs1037litefm.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/149701883.jpg>.
Girl Falling. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Feb. 2017. <http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/08/09/21/370C68EB00000578-3731631-image-a-34_1470774555477.jpg>.
Gymnastics Gym. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Feb. 2017. <http://www.intlgymnast.com/image/woga_plano.jpg>.
House. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Feb. 2017. <http://weknowyourdreams.com/image.php?pic=/images/house/house-05.jpg>.
Wheelchair. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Feb. 2017. <http://cdn.drivemedical.com/media/catalog/product/cache/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/K/3/K316DDA-SF.jpg>.