Two broken arms leaves time for thought

Truman Reid, a fourth grader at West University Elementary School, broke both arms going over a bike ramp.

I broke both arms at 6:30 p.m. one day this fall after going over a bike ramp. I went to the doctor right after it happened, and they sent us to Urgent Care, where they x-rayed me and found three broken bones. Then, they sent me to the emergency room, where they gave me loopy medicine and placed two splints. I was home by 1:30 a.m. I didn’t go to school for two days and spent most of the time watching movies and resting on the couch.

During that time, I thought and learned about lots of things. I had random thoughts about Evel Knievel and flying squirrels, but I also thought that other people had it worse than I did. You don’t see many people with two broken arms, but my situation was temporary while other people can’t ever use their arms. 

I also learned that you should not think of ways for other people to do things for you, but to find ways to do things by yourself. You should have seen me trying to eat for the first week. Imagine trying to eat a taco without moving your elbows or wrists! Six days later, my casts were put on. Luckily, mine were below the elbow. If you ever break an arm or two, you’ll be very happy if your cast is below your elbow. It allows you to move more of your arm, and you can eat, pick things up, and reach higher to get things off a shelf.

Finally, I learned how much everyone cares for me. My friends brought my bike and helmet back, and my mom quickly took me to medical places. My family helped care for me, and my friends at school helped me carry my schoolwork and write. Other friends and neighbors brought me cookies and balloons.

When I broke both my arms, I learned about gratitude and resourcefulness. I was very happy I was wearing a helmet, but I really wish I would have tucked and rolled. One last thing: Try not to break both arms if you can. It hurts!

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