Hey all,
I’m back with my team now and on the mend but figured I’d clue you in on last Wednesday’s course of events now that I’m once again coherent.
So the day started off simply enough. We were painting a couple rooms at an orphanage and making great headway. We were talking, laughing about silly things and listening to music. I was standing on a stool behind the door, in order to get just a little bit of additional height. I was about to step down for a moment when suddenly the stool gave out. It broke right under my left foot and I found myself falling backward. As if in slow motion I pushed myself toward the wall and tried to brace my right arm against it. However, I had forgotten that there was a row of coat hangers nailed to the wall in that exact location. I promptly “hooked” my upper arm on one of the hooks.
It took a minute for my team to realize that I’d been hurt pretty bad since I was frozen in shock. After a minute or 2 of investigation I heard an “oh wow, you’ve got a bit of a cut here. Is there a doctor close?” I knew it wasn’t good when no one wanted to show me. When they got me downstairs I looked in the reflection of a window and noticed I wasn’t all connected. I couldn’t exactly think clearly but could tell I was hurt worse than people were acting. We threw some gauze on it to make sure it all stayed it there during the ride to the clinic.
I may or may not have approached the front desk and told the receptionist, “I accidently skewered my arm” when asked the question “how may I help you?”
First thing the nurse at the clinic wanted to do was wrap my arm up, put it in a sling and ice it. It took a lot of persuasion to get her to stop trying to press things against my arm. (All the tears and pain…Thank the Lord for Michelle and Julia who acted as Mama Bears!) I couldn’t help but laugh when we unbandaged my arm and the nurse saw my wound, making a distinct “oh!” When the doctor checked me out it was deduced that I would need to be medically evacuated to Ho Chi Minh. They didn’t have the facilities to put me under for surgery. They would need to poke around a bit to make sure there wasn’t any serious damage to surrounding muscles. Then they planned to clean me up, stick my fatty tissue back in my arm, and stich me up.
Me and Julia were on a flight (business class since that’s all they had available~) to Ho Chi Minh at 5 that evening. We arrived around 7 and made it to the hospital right around 8, perfect timing to call the parents (so they knew what was going on) and prep for surgery that had been scheduled for 9. I can’t emphasize the perfection of that day’s timetable from the moment I got hurt to when I went in for surgery.
Turns out I was an inch away from hitting an artery and/ or nerves. The prior would have resulted in serious blood loss (probably death). The latter would have likely paralyzed my (right) arm. Hallelujah neither of those happened! It was a bit of a shock to find out I almost died. Really put things in perspective.
Everything went exceptionally well. No muscles were torn, only strained, and I had a gnarly bruise. Doctor Claudio informed me I would be in a lot of pain for about a week and would have to chill in a soft cast till my stiches come out (the 17th~).
I was a pretty amusing sight I’m sure when I came back from surgery. (PS: In Asia they have you walk back to your room if they’re able to wake you up from the anesthesia.) I couldn’t tell but I hear there was some word slurring involved. They gave me some pain meds and I was OUT.
Julia was amazing through the whole thing. She took such good care of me, got my insurance claim started and let my parents know what was going on. Also, throughout the day we exchanged lots of w-holy and hooked jokes. Thank God for humor to deal with serious situations!
They kept me at the hospital for an additional day to make sure nothing was infected. It was actually really neat to have some one on one time with Julia. We talked about all the things, watched movies, had a bible study, and shared some amazing hospital food (some of my finer meals on the Race, it’s true- no way I could have afforded it if it didn’t come with the deal).
Friday evening we flew back on another 5pm flight. I’ve been back with my team ever since. Saturday was our day off so I was able to recuperate and have another day of bed rest. (I can’t tell you the last time I spent a whole day just reading a book. It was glorious!) I’m still in a considerable amount of pain, get tired, nauseous and light-headed more often than I’d like to admit. (I’ll post soon about all the lessons I’m learning in this.) It’s not pleasant. But God has been so faithful and is continuing to heal my arm every day.
I’m looking forward to getting my stiches out on the 17th and getting back to my normal abilities.
I also have been blessed with excellent travel insurance. With the surgery, hospital stay, travel, and follow up doctor visits (one yesterday and then of course, the 17th) it all adds up to over $7,000 (which I don’t have). However, all I’m responsible for is my $750 deductible. Everything else that I had to pay for before insurance kicked in, I’ll get a refund.
Being the funny guy God is, the last $700 that was left for me to raise showed up in my World Race account the day we figured out all that money stuff. So amazingly I’M FULLLY FUNDED! 😀 This is awesome!
Also, technically I did have money to cover this bill. At the beginning of the Race I asked if anyone was interested in donating to my “fun” account for the race. This was the account I would use for adventures, food splurges, and toiletries (like shampoo and stuff). Aim recommended having about $100/ month. Thus I had money to use for this operation (praise Him!).
Of course that means my day to day money has been largely used up. I know I can make it the rest of the Race on what I have. However, it’d be great to still do all the adventures I’ve been looking forward to and buy the occasional dress (yay for cheap Asian prices~).
I’m not really sure what to ask for since I’ve learned by this point that God is enough and I don’t NEED much at all. My request is that you pray for my continued recovery (no surprise complications) and God’s provision in all areas.
If you do feel led, please consider giving toward my “fun” account (which could mean toothpaste or tattoos :p ).
You can do this by mailing a check to:
615 Gleaming Drive Galloway, OH 43119 made payable to Katherine (or Katie) Kroeger. My parents are awesome and have been keeping up with my mail.
As always I dearly appreciate ya’lls support. I’m so grateful for your prayers (they’ve done more than you can know)! We’re moving mountains guys! The partnership is real. And I hope you’re reaping benefits in your lives back home because I’m sure seeing it!
I love you all! Please don’t be shy~ I’m always elated to hear from ya.
Have a spectacular day!
*And watch out for coat hooks- they’ll get ya!
