thing 1 and thing 2

To all and sundry:

So something exciting happened to me on Sunday. And by exciting, I mean super sucky!

I was in Winnipeg, at FortWhyte Alive for PaddleFest, which is a day-long event celebrating kayaking and canoeing in Manitoba. Families come, we run clinics, there are displays, chances to try out different boats, etc etc. In the morning, before it started, we were setting up, which involved moving canoes and kayaks. Jeremiah and I had canoes on the trailer that we'd driven over from another part of the site, and we were unloading them, carrying them down from the parking lot to the water.

Now these canoes. They are called Mad Rivers. They weigh about 90 lbs. I got one up from the trailer to portage it down to the water. All went well, smooth, rolled it down properly, etc etc. So I go back for a second boat. This time, walking down the grassy slope, I must have stepped on something or slipped, since next thing I knew, I was falling down with the boat on top of me. Both ankles started to swell up right away, but the right way more so than the left.

To make a long story short, I am now hung up on my couch with not one, but two busted limbs. I broke a metatarsal (foot bone) in my right foot, and it's slightly displaced. I am in a walking cast on that side for the summer, but I'm not allowed to walk on it yet. On the left side, they think I might have chipped my tibia, but because of the swelling, they couldn't tell yet. I have a temporary cast, and I go back one week from today to get more xrays. If it is chipped, I will be in a typical plaster cast for the summer as well, and I won't be able to put weight on it at all. The clinic sent me home without any pain meds, but thankfully our neighbour is a doctor. My parents and Martha are being so patient in bringing me things I need, since the only way I can get around all that effectively is by crawling.

So what does all this mean? Well, I'm stuck at home from camp for now. I'm hoping that as the right heals, I will be able to switch from wheelchair to crutches and go back out to the island. Even if all I can do is sit on a stool in the kitchen and chop veggies, at least I would be doing something besides sitting on the couch watching re-runs of CSI. It's been really hard to think about being separate from the community, especially after this season had been going SO well for me. So I'm really hoping and praying that I will be able to make it back out to camp soon.

If you're in Winnipeg, visits are more than welcome if you call ahead. I've been so thankful for the visits, phone calls, emails, facebook messages, etc etc, of the last couple of days.

Check back for updates!