Luck with or without Lucky Charms!

So, if you're reading this then you've likely read the other post about Caleb's accident. This kid of ours is a wonder! He truly amazes us everyday and the last 24 hrs has been no exception.

When Casey and I met Caleb in the ER yesterday there was no screaming. Caleb was anxious, that was evident, but he wasn't crying, he wasn't screaming, he was watching everyone around him. It wasn't until he saw Casey and I that he got teary eyed, but still never cried. We went in and stood at his bedside, talking to him to try and keep him calm. He told us what happened as best he could with everyone buzzing around him and in and out of the room. When one of the doctors would walk into the room to talk to us, Caleb would hold his breath and try to listen and understand what the doctor was saying. As each one came in to do their evaluation, he would answer their questions, and tell them "Um, you see my knee right there, yeah, don't touch that!" He would stiffen up like a board when they examined him, but still never cried or screamed out.

It was literally as if Caleb had in a way detached himself from what was going on. He was given some pain medicine which obviously helped, however no amount of pain medicine could block out the images he was seeing. Casey and I feel that his sensory deprivation actually helped him during this. Caleb usually has a high tolerance for pain, but this was more than that. It's like he could see it, but not feel it. It's hard to explain and put it into words.

If you've ever met Caleb, you know the kid has a heart of gold. He's one of the most sensitive, caring, kind people you will ever meet. When my mom went in to see him for the first time before surgery, he looked at her and asked her if she would pray for him. We told him just how many people were praying for him, some total strangers to him, and he said "Really? Thank you!" This morning when the team of doctors and residents came in to make their rounds Caleb (without any guidance from Casey or I) thanked them for putting him back together.

By far, one of the sweetest things he did today involved one of the Orthopedic surgeons who worked on him. He came in this morning, had Caleb move his foot around, asked him if he hurt anywhere (to which he always replied No). Then Caleb asked him if he was one of the doctors who fixed him; the doctor said yes. Caleb then thanked him and offered him an orange he had sitting on his tray. He told the doctor it was the nicest thing he could think to do for the doctor who had helped to fix him. The doctor took the orange from Caleb along with another thank you. This brought tears to my eyes to watch his exchange with this doctor, as stranger to him, but someone who had helped him and he wanted to be sure the doctor was aware of his gratefullness to him.

Caleb also decided he wanted Lucky Charms for breakfast. When I got back up to the room with his cereal (and eggs AND bacon, the kid can eat!) he told us why he wanted the cereal. He said that yesterday hadn't been a lucky day for him and he needed some luck, so he wanted some Lucky Charms to bring him some good luck! That's our Caleb! Always saying something that sounds funny to us, but he takes it so literal and truly believes that the cereal would make him have some luck!

There is no way I was prepared for how Caleb would react in this situation. We could see that us crying only caused him to get really anxious and worry, so we were sure not to cry in front of him. He asked questions about what happened, what was going on, and what was going to happen. We answered him and he either accepted our answers or hit us with more questions. He was back to his usual, overtalkative self, within no time! That's our Caleb, catching the curve ball life throws at him, then throws one right back at it. This day could've been an emotional disaster, but it wasn't. I hope that my son's words to the doctors made them stop and realize that they do make a difference and take an 11yr olds gratitude to heart.