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What better way to get through the tough times than try to laugh through it. In February, Oakley was making amazing progress. He was handling the new chemo like a champ and was enjoying his weekly visits to physical therapy, occupational therapy, and music therapy. Each week, life started to feel a bit more normal. He still had are hard time separating from me (and to be honest, so did I) - but even with the many tears at drop off, Oak was finally back at school twice a week and socializing with his preschool friends again.
He was doing so well that we planned to get him back into swimming lessons (something he has been looking forward to for so long). However, the day before his first day back, we hosted a birthday celebration for his big brother, Brady. It was a blast and so fun to see Oakley actively playing with everyone else. Unfortunately, right as we were getting the boys ready for bed, Oakley turned around, playing in the hallway, to catch Brady. Just the simple movement of turning around caused him to collapse and scream while he held his leg up to his chest.
At that moment, Chris heard a crack and knew something was broken. Immediately we called up Mimi to come over, so that we could get Oakley to the nearest emergency room. With every movement and bump along the drive, Oakley screamed. This kid can handle pain like a champ after the year he’s had. So seeing him in this much pain, we knew it wasn’t something minor.
Once we got to the emergency room, they got him in for X-rays. After a few hours of multiple X-rays, we were able to confirm that he broke his tibia and fibula. Next steps were to splint his leg, so that swelling could go down. This also gave us time to get him scheduled with orthopedics at Children’s (where they already see him for his leg braces). The doctor at the emergency department informed us that a lot of times steroids can weaken bones. In this case it’s hard to know if that’s the cause, but for the time being we should plan for Oakley to non-weight bearing and immobile for 8 weeks.
As we got Oakley situated at home in our bed, he looked at me and Chris. Through tears he said “I shouldn’t have chased Brady. I should have just stayed in bed”. Through tears, we reassured him that it was not his fault this happened. It breaks my heart that something as simple as playing with his brother before bed could cause this. He was just being a kid, doing normal kid things with his brother.
Once we were able to get him into Children’s, they were able to confirm the break and get him casted. Thankfully he did not require surgery. The doctor described the break like a twisting of a tube. It fully broke the bone, but it was a spiral break up his tibia with a smaller break to his fibula. That meant the tibia wouldn’t need additional support to keep the bone aligned, the spiral helped do that its own. To say the casting was a nightmare is an understatement. They couldn’t do anything to sedate him for the process. I’m pretty sure the entire 30 mins of casting, not a single one of us to a breath. You could see the fear in Oakley’s eyes and could probably hear his screams from the waiting room. By the time we were done, Oakley was soaked from his sweat and was completely wiped out. But now the hard part was over and like the Nurse’s name tag said “everything is going tibia okay”.
Next was the four weeks in a cast from above his knee down to his toes. From there he will move to a cast below his knee for another 4 weeks. After the cast comes off and X-rays confirm that he was properly healed, we will re-start his journey with physical therapy. Thankfully his physical therapist is amazing. Oakley always looks forward to seeing her, so going multiple times a week will seem like a treat!
The hope is that Oakley is in healthy from head to toe for his birthday in April. As many of you know, last year he spent his birthday in the hospital. It was an emotional birthday week for all of us, but it was heart warming to see everyone who came out to the Big Climb that week to support the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and our Mighty Oak team. During a week that was hard on our family, so many of you showed up, stepped up, and helped us raise money for a cause that has so drastically impacted our lives.
With that said, the Big Climb is coming to US Bank Stadium once again. Just in time to celebrate Oakley’s birthday again. Oakley’s birthday is April 24th and in honor of his fight and children just like him, we invite you to join us on April 20th for the Big Climb.
Here’s how you can show support:
Last year with your support, we were able to raise 10k. This year, we want to take it one step further and raise $15k. In honor of my sweet Oak, let’s hit that mark!
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