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PR for the ER


Free valet parking, a colorful gown to wear, Bob to the Rescue on the TV, warm towels for the body and drugs to numb the pain - all at the special emergency room for children.

It all started on Saturday morning. As we walked into the gym at the YMCA, Ben abruptly sat down to watch a volleyball match. Not wanting to be late for swim lessons, I hurried a reluctant Ben to the pool. He'd never seen a volleyball match, let alone one played by teenage girls in very short shorts.

Ben had a fantastic swim lesson - the instructor let him maneuver along the edge of the pool alone using his arms to reach the steps, about 5-6 feet away. This was hard work for him and a big accomplishment.

The volleyball match was still underway as we left the pool area with me holding Ben's hands. He led me to the game, let go, plopped down and started crawling quickly to the bleachers. I told him he had 5 minutes to watch.

Ben tried to climb up on a random man's pants to get a better look. I eased Ben down, because clearly the man was not understanding why a child was grabbing his jeans. Ben just wanted the best view and thought a seat on the bleachers was better than the floor!

After being placed down by me, Ben got in a crawl position with hands and knees fully engaged. Then, his right arm gave out and his face hit the gym floor, hard.

No one noticed what happened. I picked Ben up and held him as he whined, Ben does not cry. He clearly was in pain. Then I saw the blood and very briefly the cut on his chin. I knew immediately it was deep enough for stitches.

If you know me, you know I do not do blood. I quickly recruited help to get me a towel, another opinion on the cut and a cell phone to call my husband. Not being able to reach my husband, I got help to the car and drove the 1/2 mile home. Within minutes of telling my husband the problem, we were on our way to the emergency room.

The whole process took one hour. It was amazing - not that I recommend emergency room visits, but if you have to go, do your homework and see which ones cater to kids. It made a big difference in our experience.

So Ben's chin is glued together with Dermabond - I highly recommend it. I had a construction accident years ago, and had my upper lip glued together - but that's another story for another blog...


*Just in case you thought we were driving around in the red sports car above, the image was taken from a website. Our sports car has eight seats, sliding doors and a roof that stays in place.

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