A Note From Team Leader Greg Parent
Tue, Jun 24th, 2014 | by Miles Mediation and Arbitration | Get to Know our Neutrals | Social Share
Earlier Thursday morning I bragged about getting to go to our second consecutive Eric Montross basketball camp,and my intention was to take another picture like this one (right) with my son Jacob in the Dean Dome on Friday morning.
Instead, during the middle of the mediation I was conducting Thursday morning, I received an emergency phone call alerting me that Jacob had fallen while at summer camp and broken his arm.
This is the next picture I saw.
I shared it with my orthopedic surgeon friend while on the way to the hospital and he diagnosed it correctly from the picture alone. It’s a supra condylar humerus fracture. Fortunately, it’s a fairly common injury among kids and a relatively routine surgical procedure to repair it.
By the time I got to the hospital, Jacob was in a temporary splint.
I would like to say I was strong and put on a brave face for Jacob, but anyone who knows me knows that I have more waterworks when it comes to my little ones (and “Rudy” and “Hoosiers” and “Hallmark commercials” and “The West Wing”) than Dick Vermeil and post-tournament-loss Roy Williams combined. So, I wasn’t exactly able to hold it together very well when Jacob got scared and upset being wheeled into the OR.
Thankfully, we had an excellent pediatric surgeon whose specialty is arms from the fingers to the shoulder. I commend him on his good bedside manner, however, because he did not scare the bejesus out of me with details of the full extent of Jacob’s injury until AFTER the successful surgery. He shared with me then, and only then, that the fracture was one of the worst of this type that he had ever seen. Fortunately, Jacob responded well to the procedure and pins were inserted without having to make an incision.
My brave and strong little man was a champ during the procedure.
Needless to say, Jacob and I did not travel to Chapel Hill and we didn’t get to hang out with any Tar Heel royalty all weekend or play around shooting hoops in the Dean Dome. And we didn’t get a new picture with Montross.
But, I’ll still got to spend time hanging out with my number one guy . . . eating doughnuts while he recovers.
And that’s priceless to me!
We’ll get that cool picture with Eric Montross next year.
Sincere thanks to everyone with older kids or “unluckier” kids who sent me words of reassurance having already been in our shoes. As you all predicted, the kids are way tougher than the parents and this Parent, especially.
For a guy who wears his emotions on his screen and his sleeves, I really appreciated the thoughtful words.
Thank you!
Dr. Myers, Crispy, Cathy, Steve, Eager, Susan, and Brunt, I’ll catch you next time I’m in town. One of y’all owes me some wings from The Town Hall Grill!
Take care,
Greg