I wasn't sure I was going to mention it, but I understand Debbie ratted me out! Yup, I broke my leg. It's like having sympathy pains. I understand way too much of what Mom is experiencing! I've made a list of all the specific experiences I have inadvertently acquired. In my mind, this is the only justified reason for breaking my leg; perhaps I can better help Mom. I'll try to run through as many of them as I can think of, & I'll be quick.

Hyper-extending my knee, IV (neither Mom nor I have decent veins), no fluids for 12 hours, cottonmouth, anxiously awaiting surgery, inability to use the facilities at my own leisure, depending on others for transportation & taking care of my daily household chores, not to mention things as big as having hay delivered (thanks for that very important delivery!), nose breathing tube, becoming sick from moving too fast & being afraid to eat, having my sheets changed because of that whole getting sick thing (when I called Mom after getting clean sheets the 1st time, she told me she had an upset stomach), phone calls from sick bed to sick bed, being hoarse from no fluid in my throat & intubation, the pain scale 1-10 question, and into Mom's future: learning to take care of myself despite my disabilities.

This whole ordeal is embarrassing, cause I should never have brought myself into the direct care of my brother's family; he has enough to worry about.

I slipped on the ice & broke both my right Tibia & Fibia. After all we've been through, Tom & I still can't keep straight which is the bigger bone. But I broke the big one in a spiral. I actually think the x-ray looks like art work, with the delicate spiral, & the fractures that go off at different angles.

There was very little soft tissue damage, so Dr Basta was able to do surgery Thursday night, 12 hours after I broke it. I have a plate & 2 sets of 4 screws. She didn't have to do as much reattaching as she had expected, because of the lack of damage to the soft tissue.

My nurse on Friday was Leah Rose ... when I was in High School, I called her Rosie! I graduated with her oldest sister, Mary (whom I used to call Margaret). Small world! Every time anybody does ANYthing to ya in the hospital, they have to ask your name & date of birth. I should have figured that out from Mom. But I understand from my own stupid experience. Anyway, my first instinct, just because of the hospital & the bed, was to give Mom's name & birthdate! Then I decided to get ornery & I told Rosie my name was Mary Kimball, & I nearly got all Kinds of shots I didn't want!!!

I handed the Cheerleaders over to the care of June, but Tom brought me a file in a cake, & busted me out of the hospital Friday night so that we could go watch Morgan at the basketball game during the 2nd half of her game. We missed the Senior Night Celebrations, but I think she was happy anyway. We lost the games.

We stopped by the Antelope (now the End of the Trail) to get a bite to eat after the game, Tom gave me a ride to the door, typical of Tom, wheelie style! It was over the gravel & he thought it would be an easier ride.

All things considered, we're looking at wrapping Tom in bubble wrap!

Since I broke my leg, I've not found myself in a location where I could get Internet. With the assistance of many friends & staff, I tried while I was in the hospital. I never made it happen. I'm sorry to have kept you in the dark while so much has been happening for us.

Cheyenne Regional Medical Center ... I decided I am just going to continue calling it Laramie County Memorial Hospital. I know they are moving into the future, but it is confusing to try to keep up with their advancement. For me, the history is much more interesting, & has personal meaning. Both the hospital in Cheyenne, & St Francis have come to be the facility they are, due to the donations & memories of families named Warren. The family of FE Warren here in Cheyenne has been one of the favorites for both Dad & I in our research of local history.

The real reason we are here for you ... Mom. Great news! She arrived AT Denver Health Medical Center (DHMC) about 5:15 yesterday evening! We were there for her as soon as they let us into her ER room. She sure was glad to see us, and calmed down immediately when she saw us.

We spent a few hours with her. Getting her new medical staff up to date has helped us understand why St Francis' said it would be best to keep her there as long as possible, where they understand her history. There really is a lot of explaining to do. Her medical record, just covering her medication (MAR - we forgot what it stands for) since the accident is over 250 pages. We haven't documented her medication or it would have been shorter to read all of our emails than to read her medical record!

We have spent most of the time over the last few days trying to prepare Mom's transition, most of it on the phone. We then went through several layers of staff (ER, Doctors, two shifts of nurses), re-explaining her situation. On Monday, the doctors at DHMC will perform the same procedure that St Francis has done several times, which cleans her wound, & allows them to access her injuries. We anticipate her surgeries will begin Wednesday.

Her staff has so far earned our respect, but they don't comprehend why Mom had to leave Tulsa. They do apparently do several surgeries like Mom's, which comforts us, because we like the experience they must have.

We are excited, not only that we are so close to Mom, but that she is now near to many of the people she knows. Mom has already had her first local visitors, JD & Robbin. They live about 15 minutes from Mom's room, & they hope to visit often! They called to let us know that Mom is very much herself. She remembers most everything, but is frustrated that she does not remember the accident itself. It would have happened so fast, there would only be a few seconds of memory, & we don't expect she'll ever remember them.

They also let us know that a Catholic Father stopped by to see her, & she asked if she could be visited frequently by the Pastoral staff.

Mom's room is large, & she is finally in a place where she would have room for flowers! We didn't think to take her any yesterday. She has a private room, which we appreciate still. We don't know (sound familiar?) how long she will be here, but it is a comfortable room.

Denver Health Medical Center is located at 777 Bannock St in Denver, Room B444. The hospital is basically on the corner of Speer Blvd & Bannock, but we found it difficult to find a parking spot. Although it would have been easier if we'd had a handicap sticker ... hmmm ... wonder what we would have had to do to get one of those ... maybe if somebody broke a leg or something!

Visitation hours end at 8 P.M. The Pavilion B elevator is the only one we found that gets to her room. We kept riding to the psych ward on the other elevator.

Now I will try to dial-up online, & check my mail quickly before sending this. We hope you have enjoyed time, perhaps with your family, watching the Super Bowl. Mom has been rooting for the Colts! ~ Val & Tom