Kulshan

Kulshan

This story started when I was a little over 7 years old. I think that it was on a Friday evening. It was a regular night, like any other. I was chasing my friends around the house like I often did, when I think I twisted my leg. Rushing down the stairs trying to catch one of my friends must have caused me to sprain it pretty good. Me being the tough guy that I was though, I wasn't about to let anyone know that I hurt myself. I also did not want to upset my parents because I was doing something that I should not have been doing, running in the house.

So as the next few days came and went I would try to disguise my limp. Try to hide the fact that I was indeed injured. And for a while it worked. I think my parents suspected something was wrong but I did a pretty good job in not letting them worry about it too much. The following week things were looking up too. I was able to put more weight on my left leg and thought I was going to heal and be back to my old self again in no time. I was even able to go out on walks with my dad and not have too much pain.

The next night however everything changed. I don't know how or what I did to make things worse, but I did. The pain was terrible! So bad that I could not put any weight on it at all and had to overcompensate with my other leg just stand up or walk.

This is when my parents really noticed how bad it was getting. My dad began to get more and more concerned as the night went on and the pain began to intensify. So much so that I was not able to get any rest or relief at all. So my dad tried to give me some pain medication but was unsure of what he could give me with what we had on hand. Whatever he gave me, it did not help.

I remember crawling in their bed in the middle of the night and waking my parents up asking for help. Finally my mom decided to bring me to the emergency room to get checked out. If for no other reason then to be sure it wasn't anything serious and so that I could finally get some pain relief and with any luck, actually get some sleep.

The hospital was like any other hospital I suppose; cold and bright. The nurse brought me out a blanket to cuddle up with while we waited to see the doctor. I could see the stress on my mom's face. She hated hospitals, and so did I. But we needed help, of that I was sure of.

About an hour or so later we finally get called back to see the doctor. I remember they gave me something to help ease my pain and calm me down. If you can imagine a seven year old boy with no sleep, I was not a happy camper. With the pain finally letting up enough for me to fall asleep, I closed my eyes and rested my head in my mother's lap.

I'm not sure how long I was asleep for but I do know that when I woke up I saw the concern on my mother's face as she was speaking with my dad on the phone. Apparently this was not good news. A simple twisted knee? A sprain? No, this was much worse than I thought.

Turns out that I had ruptured my knee on my left leg completely. And by overcompensating with my right leg, I had inadvertently partially torn my right knee as well. It was going to require two or more surgeries and months of rehabilitation to recover. To make things even scarier, there was no guarantee that it would even be a successful recovery. I may never be able to walk again. The news hit me like a ton of bricks. Completely devastating. One day I was out running around with my friends and the next day I was needing serious surgery and potentially being bed ridden or in a wheel chair for the rest of my life.

The drive home was a somber quiet ride. I could tell that my mom had been crying all morning but trying to put on a strong face for me. When we got home I could barely even function. Trying to wake up fully from the sedatives I received at the hospital and being injured made it impossible for me to get out of the car. My dad had to actually pick me up and carry me inside.

For the next few days I was unable to get up or walk around as the doctors told my parents that I needed to stay off of my legs as much as possible while we waited for the surgery. Not being able to get into my own bed, my parents made me a nice comfortable bed in the living room so that I could still be with everyone and they would always be there in case I needed anything. My parents would take shifts each night sleeping out in the living room with me too.

Over the next week I was in a constant state of sleepiness. It wasn't all bad however, I would often get little snacks here and there and my brother and sister would come and hang out with me and keep me company. My brother is a few years older than me so I could tell he knew something was wrong with me and my sister, a few years younger was always so sweet and gentle with me. Making sure I was never alone and taking naps with me to try and normalize this new normal of my life. It was an incredibly long week to say the least. To me, it was all one big haze. A blur of waking and sleeping over and over again. Only being awake long enough to eat, get something to drink and making the strenuous journey to the bathroom when I could finally hold no longer.

My story ends on a Wednesday morning. My parents woke me up bright and early and told me we were finally heading back to the hospital. My other two siblings, both much older than me, my parents and I all packed up our things and got into the car. Everyone was so sad that morning, but I tried to assure everyone that everything was going to be fine. However this ended up, we would be fine on the other end of it.

To my surprise we went to my favorite restaurant first. I got two delicious pancake and sausage sandwiches and ice cream for breakfast! Ice cream! As my family and I sat in the car eating our breakfast we all sat and told each other funny stories. I think we were all trying to lighten the mood a bit. Knowing that we were going back to the hospital for a scary experience.

When we arrived at the hospital the nurse took us all back to my room and talked to my parents, presumptively about the procedure about to take place. Then the nurse left and it was just me and my family alone in the room. My dad knelt down beside me and kissed my face, letting me know that everything was going to be fine. That I would soon be pain free and suffer no longer.

I slowly crept towards my mother, my tail wagging. I knew that she needed my support as much as I needed hers. I licked everyone's face one last time and said my goodbyes. Soon I would see my sister that we lost about five years earlier and cross the famed "Rainbow Bridge". It was my time to make the final journey.

When the doctor came in, I assured my family that I loved them all and felt their love pour over me as I began to fall asleep. Hearing the last words from my father, "You were always the best-est boy, I love you so much and you made our lives that much better." as he pet my head and the warmth of life, slowly began to fade.

The End