Firsts: Broken Leg!



Pregnant wife, broken leg, bad moustache



Today's post is about my first broken bone. When I was a kid living in Germany I jumped off a building and broke my heel bone, but heel bones aren't really that impressive. My first REAL broken bone was actually two broken bones, both the tibia and fibula in my lower leg. The injury occurred in a softball game at Bennett Park in Forsyth County on April 24, 1984. I was playing shortstop for the Cumming Methodist softball team and I fielded a ground ball near second base, touched the bag and threw out the guy running to first. Unfortunately the Oak Grove Baptist base runner running to second thought we were playing game seven of the World Series and he decided to "take me out" at second. When he rolled into me my left leg was planted as I threw to first and the impact shattered both my lower leg bones.

Thankfully Dr. Bob Dunn, a good Methodist, was watching the game. He came out onto the field immediately and confirmed the worst. An ambulance was called. About this time someone got Donna's attention (she was "watching the game" as she conversed with friends in the stands). Someone said to her, "I think Steve's hurt." Donna replied, "Really? I hadn't noticed." Actually I can't prove she said that because everything after I got injured was a blur of pain, anguish and fear for me. I got an ambulance ride to the old hospital in Cumming and the bones were set. I spent the night there in a haze of pain killers and was released the next day.

As you can tell from the photo, Donna was pregnant at the time of my injury, which is probably why she was so preoccupied and didn't notice me writhing in pain out on the field. You can also see my short shorts and my silly 80's mustache. In retrospect that wasn't such a good look for me. Who knew?

The good news is I healed and we had our baby although I still had a cast on when Amy was born. The bad news is I didn't learn my lesson and the next season while warming up for the FIRST GAME of the softball season a player from my own team threw a ball in from the outfield that hit me in the jaw and broke my jawbone which had to be wired together for several weeks. I did learn my lesson that time and have never played softball again.