Break a Leg

I was over protected as a child. My mom will admit to this now. I almost died at eight weeks old, one hospital said there was no hope for me to live and my parents demanded I be transferred to Children's Hospital, where obviously lived. But not before going in a coma for a weeks and being in one of those boxes where nobody can touch you. I was my parents first child. So because of all this my mom over protected me. As a result of my mom's over protectiveness, I remember growing up and being very afraid of pain. I am sure over that now! I mention all this, because while laying in the hospital, I was trying to figure out why at 34 I am willing to take risks that no-one else my age will take. I guess I never got it out of my system when I was a teen-ager.

Five years ago I went on a mission trip to Romania. In preparation for the trip our team of missionaries did a trust fall. I involved getting on a stack of chairs on a stage and falling backwards and the rest of the team would catch you. The height you are falling from would be about six feet. The team did catch me, but for what ever reason did not hold and to me and dropped me, so I had to do it again. This was not my first trust fall, and they have never been at all scary to me. In fact I was so comfortable with them that I decided it would be funny if as soon as I got back up on the chair I fell back immediately so they could not have time to catch me. How funny would that be I thought, the first time they drop me and second time they miss me entirely! I should mention that the floor was concrete with carpet over it. Well, when I got back on the chair the Pastor started talking before I could fall and ruined my plan.

Now, we are in Romania. We are doing drama, and Marv is doing a character called Professor Noodles. As whoever was teaching, in between the lessons and skits, Professor Noodles would come out with a way to get to heaven that was way off. One of the ways was to jump to heaven and Marv would run toward a chair, put one foot on it and use it to jump higher, land on both feet and fall to the ground comically. I am a method actor, if you get hit in a play you get hit for real. You fake beatings to the point of broken bones, or where the wind will get knocked out of you preventing you from saying your lines, but for the most part you take it. So when I say him fake the fall, I was not impressed. He could fall forward and use his hand to break the fall, a la Ric Flair, and it would look good, and there would be no risk of breaking anything. It would hurt a little, yea, but that is the price of good acting.

In preparations for a Venezuela missionary trip, on April 15th, we did the children's church on that Sunday. I would be playing Professor Noodles. I would come out a total of three time, only one was scripted, and I was to make up the last two and the teacher, Valerie, would play off me. We almost did not get to the third one, but we did. I thought back to how I was going to fall backwards from 6 feet and land on carpeted concrete, the floor in the children's church is also carpeted concrete, and how Marv would break his fall. I decided to put a chair on stage and fall backward off of it. This was only a height of like, three feet, I was willing to do six. Professor Noodles rationale was if he had faith God would catch him and float him up to heaven. When I was out on stage in front of the kids and in character and told Valerie my plan, she said no. I was on the chair and ready to go at this point. As this was un scripted I would not be able to do it, I had to play off her. My character said "No?" and she said "Fine, do it." I don't think she really thought I would do it. I was a little scared, but could not back down now, so I tucked my head into my chest and threw myself backwards. I expected a headache from hitting my head on the floor. I don't remember falling, or really even landing, but I remember after I landed my back and head did not hurt at all. My upper right leg did though, I thought that I must have bruised it bad, to the point where I would be limping. So I continued to act and while lying there talked about how the fall did not go well, and I don't remember what Valerie said. When the time came for me to get up I put all my weight on my left leg and when I moved to stand on my right leg I could feel the bone not lining up. I did not know if it was broke, or if the leg was out of the hip socket. I whispered "I can't get up." I don't think Valerie believed me as I did act after the fall, and I laughed and said it again then fell on my left side.

The pain was not that bad, about a 7 out of 10. The ambulance was called. I body was in shock, my mind was fine, maybe even better than fine as I was very funny. I kept the jokes coming as a lie there sweating and drinking as much water as I could. I introduced myself to the EMT's as Pastor Noel. The put the streacter by my back, I was still on my side at this point, but told me I would have to roll onto my back so they could carry me out. They said it would hurt. And it did. For the first time in my life, I literally screamed out in pain. The pain was a 13 out of 10. the most painful experience I can remember.

Turns out I shattered my upper fibia. The Doc's say I broke my hip, even though my hip bone is not broken. I guess it is because it is in the hip area. I walk with a walker as I cannot put weight on my right leg.

My Dad took me to Meijer today to go shopping and I got to use the motorized carts. So it was all worth it.