Rough Waters

Yesterday was a bit rough. Actually, until midafternoon, it was pretty uneventful. Brendan is having trouble kicking his cold so he stayed home from preschool. I did housework and developed a form to use in my writing service, took a nap (which wasn't in my plans for the day but was very needed). Then I walked down to get Alex at school. On the way home, he told me that someone in his class had given him a note with a death threat. It was supposedly signed by one of the kids who picks on him regularly, but I doubt that even this kid would be stupid enough to sign his own name to something like that. Apparently his teacher must not have thought it was a big deal because she didn't send a note home or call. When I tried to call her as soon as we got home, I got her voice mail. I'm trying not to overreact to this. I know it's almost certainly just some kid's idea of a joke, that Alex really isn't in any danger. I'm not worried about that. I'm just concerned because it's upsetting my son and because this tormenting just goes on and on. I don't have any idea how to stop it -- or if that's even possible. And how do I equip my son to deal with this? There will be more such "attention" down the road as he enters the white water rapids of junior high. I cringe to even think about that.

Shortly after we got home, I heard a crash upstairs and then a wail. Mark had fallen from a standing position and hit his head on the corner of a cardboard box. He didn't trip over anything. He just fell. He had a sudden headache and dizziness. I hesitated, feeling every last bit of emotion leave me as I tried to analyze how to proceed. I decided to call 911. Our bedroom was soon full of fire fighters and paramedics. They strapped him to a backboard and carried him down the stairs (which was actually rather amusing, watching them trying to get him around the landing.) Then off they went. Because he had hit his head and because of the risk of stroke, he was entered into the trauma system, which meant that they had to take him to the closest hospital (McMinnville) rather our preferred one (Newberg).

Mom came and got the boys. Kaitlyn was at track practice, and Michelle quickly agreed to take her home and let her stay the night with Lindsay. I felt very fortunate yesterday in that regard. When I called Mom, she said, without hesitation, that she would be right there to get the boys. When I called Michelle and told her the medics had just left with Mark, her first comment was, "What can I do?"

When I got out of the hospital, Mark was just coming out of CT. Thankfully, the scan showed no signs of a stroke. His heart rate was high as was his systolic blood pressure. And the pain and nausea had kicked in, but he was stable. After consulting with Mark's cardiologist, they turned us loose after only a couple of hours, with instructions to call Dr. Broberg this morning. I suspect that today we'll be going up to his offices at OHSU. He is concerned about Mark's worsening arrhythmia and apparently thinks this event may have something to do with that. So I guess we'll see.

Pastor Lon came to see us in the ER, and Kelly McMillan brought a wonderful dinner to the house after we got home. I must say, while I could do without the sudden surge of adrenaline that always leaves me feeling like I'm bobbing in rough water, I did feel very loved and supported today. We're so fortunate to be sustained by such a loving community.