This is another attempt at me posting this. It's not a cry for sympathy or anything else, it's just me sharing my weekend with friends (I'd rather this were deleted rather than moved if it's felt inappropriate here).
Saturday morning we went into the forest to figure distances for a national enduro our club is hosting next weekend. We geared up & headed out. At one point, we came into a clearing where I thought someone might be waiting for me, but no one to be seen, so I headed into the next trail, thinking they'd be waiting for me at the end. After a few minutes of this trail (it felt like forever), I decided that once I met up with the guys, i'd tell them to carry on as I was riding like crap & we'd never get done what was needed.
Coming around a corner near the end of the trail, I saw everyone milling around & thought what a wierd place to wait for me, we're almost at the point I thought they'd be waiting. I pulled up & noticed a rider down. I looked blankly trying to figure who was missing & decided it was the youngest in the group. Just as I thought this, the rider in front of me told me it was Henk (my husband). I laid the bike down (turning the gas off) & walked over, asking if he was conscious (there'd been no sound from the downed rider), to which Henk responded, yeah, I'm okay, I'm winded.
I then had a tree pointed out to me (he's taken out a nice piece of bark with his footpeg) - oops. After a while he managed to stand up (with help) and we decided to ride out back to the cars, pick one up & bring Henk back. He walked out (with help), commented I'd taken the wrong line through a puddle (yeah, I know, I almost dropped the bike twice, my brain wasn't functioning). Not long after we'd loaded Henk & my bike into the van, Henk was brought back.
He sat around & then decided lying down was easier, so was assisted to the ground. He also told us he couldn't face leaving the forest in a car, so we had to call an ambulance. Eventually one turned up, we loaded him into it (okay, the ambo staff did - thanks guys/gals) & off to hospital him & I went.
After a few hours waiting around, Henk was bitching at me that he was bored & wanted to go home. I refused to take him until he'd been checked out. A while after this, x-rays were taken & the doctor (almost laughingly) told me he'd broken his back. I didn't believe her & expected Henk to walk out & say he had been soft & it was just soft tissue damage. He was wheeled out & I guess he knew I'd been told as the dr, him & I just carried on whatever conversation they'd been having.
He's got 1 vertebrae 50% cracked & the other has a bone chip or something off it. It's a static break. He came home Sunday afternoon & was expecting to go back to work coming Monday.
Sunday afternoon, we got a phone call from a friend saying he was following another friend home as the other friend had hurt himself & couldn't walk. Turns out he's broken his leg. He was more of a concern as he lives alone & had a quadruple bypass earlier this year. When the friend (who'd followed him home) made sure he was okay, he'd also organised his wife to take him to the hospital if need be. The old friend is stubborn & didn't want the wife to take him, so she went past his place on Monday to find no one home. She phoned us panicked to see if we'd heard from him & I spent the day figuring out where he was. (worrying more like). Turns out he was in hospital & he had surgery yesterday to pin his leg.
I've decided Henk & him are linked, as when Henk broke his hand, this guy had phoned us to say he was in hospital (awaiting the bypass surgery). I don't want to name names, so this may be a bit confusing.
Times like this show who your friends are & to any Kiwis who knew & phoned, thanks guys, it meant a lot.
Oh, the coolest thing to come out of the weekend was the fact I could unload the bikes on my own. I'll be using the TTR until Henk's healed just because it's easier to load by myself.
I know the dangers, they've been hit home hard this week, but I know I'll forget once I'm on my bike & will torment Henk mercilessly until he's able to ride again ;)
If this sounds callous, the hardest time (for me) has passed & I'm fine about things now. I've had a hard time for the first few days, but dirtbikes are definitely in my blood & I can't imagine life without them or the people :)
Saturday morning we went into the forest to figure distances for a national enduro our club is hosting next weekend. We geared up & headed out. At one point, we came into a clearing where I thought someone might be waiting for me, but no one to be seen, so I headed into the next trail, thinking they'd be waiting for me at the end. After a few minutes of this trail (it felt like forever), I decided that once I met up with the guys, i'd tell them to carry on as I was riding like crap & we'd never get done what was needed.
Coming around a corner near the end of the trail, I saw everyone milling around & thought what a wierd place to wait for me, we're almost at the point I thought they'd be waiting. I pulled up & noticed a rider down. I looked blankly trying to figure who was missing & decided it was the youngest in the group. Just as I thought this, the rider in front of me told me it was Henk (my husband). I laid the bike down (turning the gas off) & walked over, asking if he was conscious (there'd been no sound from the downed rider), to which Henk responded, yeah, I'm okay, I'm winded.
I then had a tree pointed out to me (he's taken out a nice piece of bark with his footpeg) - oops. After a while he managed to stand up (with help) and we decided to ride out back to the cars, pick one up & bring Henk back. He walked out (with help), commented I'd taken the wrong line through a puddle (yeah, I know, I almost dropped the bike twice, my brain wasn't functioning). Not long after we'd loaded Henk & my bike into the van, Henk was brought back.
He sat around & then decided lying down was easier, so was assisted to the ground. He also told us he couldn't face leaving the forest in a car, so we had to call an ambulance. Eventually one turned up, we loaded him into it (okay, the ambo staff did - thanks guys/gals) & off to hospital him & I went.
After a few hours waiting around, Henk was bitching at me that he was bored & wanted to go home. I refused to take him until he'd been checked out. A while after this, x-rays were taken & the doctor (almost laughingly) told me he'd broken his back. I didn't believe her & expected Henk to walk out & say he had been soft & it was just soft tissue damage. He was wheeled out & I guess he knew I'd been told as the dr, him & I just carried on whatever conversation they'd been having.
He's got 1 vertebrae 50% cracked & the other has a bone chip or something off it. It's a static break. He came home Sunday afternoon & was expecting to go back to work coming Monday.
Sunday afternoon, we got a phone call from a friend saying he was following another friend home as the other friend had hurt himself & couldn't walk. Turns out he's broken his leg. He was more of a concern as he lives alone & had a quadruple bypass earlier this year. When the friend (who'd followed him home) made sure he was okay, he'd also organised his wife to take him to the hospital if need be. The old friend is stubborn & didn't want the wife to take him, so she went past his place on Monday to find no one home. She phoned us panicked to see if we'd heard from him & I spent the day figuring out where he was. (worrying more like). Turns out he was in hospital & he had surgery yesterday to pin his leg.
I've decided Henk & him are linked, as when Henk broke his hand, this guy had phoned us to say he was in hospital (awaiting the bypass surgery). I don't want to name names, so this may be a bit confusing.
Times like this show who your friends are & to any Kiwis who knew & phoned, thanks guys, it meant a lot.
Oh, the coolest thing to come out of the weekend was the fact I could unload the bikes on my own. I'll be using the TTR until Henk's healed just because it's easier to load by myself.
I know the dangers, they've been hit home hard this week, but I know I'll forget once I'm on my bike & will torment Henk mercilessly until he's able to ride again ;)
If this sounds callous, the hardest time (for me) has passed & I'm fine about things now. I've had a hard time for the first few days, but dirtbikes are definitely in my blood & I can't imagine life without them or the people :)
