2012
May 12-June 28 Mystic, Connecticut
With
great excitement we anticipated our return to The Bottom Line. As planned,
we left DFW, arrived on schedule in Boston, and took a car to Mystic. Before going to the boat, we decided to have
lunch at S & P Oyster Company,
our favorite Mystic restaurant. The
lines were long and parking was impossible so we opted for Bravo Bravo, a nearby
bistro. Despite wonderful service and delicious food, this change in plans may
have been an omen that more disruptions were in store for us!
The
Bottom Line, newly washed and polished, looked wonderful from the outside. The interior was another story. We had emptied refrigerators and cabinets
before leaving and they required cleaning.
A significant amount of dust covered everything but nothing seemed to be
broken or damaged. David immediately
claimed his favorite place on the sofa for a nap while I began to straighten
and clean. Those are usually are roles
on the boat!!
Later that
evening, we decided I would continue the cleaning and David would go to the
grocery store to replenish our supplies.
Upon his return, he loaded the bags onto the deck of the boat and then
saw me moving about on the aft deck.
Trying to attract my attention, he hurriedly walked toward the stern of
the boat, and looking up instead of down, he failed to notice the dock did not
extend the length of the boat. It was
dark and there was no illumination on the dock. David fell into the water but seemingly
uninjured, swam to the back platform of the boat (about 10 feet). When he tried to climb onto the ladder, he
realized he could not lift his right leg.
Desperate
to get him out of the frigid water as quickly as possible, I called for help to
the boaters across the channel. Two
hefty guys arrived and managed to lift David out of the water onto the swim platform. I had called 911 and they came within a few
minutes. They quickly took over and
would not allow David to be moved.
Somehow they were able to secure him to a board and lift him onto a Fire
Department boat for marine rescue. He
was then moved to a dock, loaded into an ambulance and transported to the
hospital in New London. We were amazed
to learn that the very efficient and highly capable 911 responders were all
volunteers.
After a
long night in the emergency room of the hospital, David was moved to a room and
was examined by an orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Christopher Hudgins. He advised David to have a cast placed on his
leg and make arrangements to return to Fort Worth for surgery. The femur bone had been broken and his knee
replacement prosthesis had been damaged. We spent the day talking with family
members and trying to make plans to get David safely home.
On Monday, we were finally able to consult
with Dr. Kent, our orthopedic surgeon in Fort Worth. He was adamant that David remain in
Connecticut because there was significant danger of blood clots developing in
movement. Subsequently, Dr. Hudgins
scheduled surgery for Wednesday. We were
greatly relieved by our decision. I
would stay on the boat and drive each day the short distance between Mystic and
the hospital in New London.
Joe and
Stephanie arrived on Wednesday morning.
They had aborted their Barbados vacation, flown to New York, and drove
into Mystic. It was great to have them
with us. Joe was a tremendous help in
securing the boat in the marina and making the ladder and dock area accessible
and safe. He helped me choose a facility
in Mystic where David could undergo rehab after leaving the hospital. Stephanie
did a great job of caring for me and her dad.
The surgery went well and David was on the
road to recovery! On Saturday, he was
transported by ambulance to Apple Rehab, a small facility only three blocks
from the boat. Joe and Stephanie
returned home and David and I fell into a daily routine of care. I would visit him daily and assist him in
bathing and eating. He had physical
therapy twice daily. He was determined
to walk as much as possible with the help of a walker. Two weeks after surgery, we saw Dr. Hudgins
again and he was delighted with David’s progress. He reluctantly agreed to allow David to
return to the boat for continued physical therapy.
Blake’s
arrival on May 30 was a strong morale booster for both of us. With his characteristic charm and good humor,
he was wonderful company. David insisted
on joining us for dinner one evening. We
went to the oldest restaurant in Mystic, the Captain Daniel Packer Inn,
and enjoyed its quaint ambiance and wonderful food. The effort proved to be a
revelatory experience as David realized he was not yet ready for such a
strenuous effort.
On May
31, David was dismissed from rehab with a heartwarming goodbye from the staff
who lined up as he exited to clap and wish him well. Apple Rehab overall had been a good
experience and we were grateful for their excellent care and constant concern. Ken, the director made frequent visits to
talk with David about boating and other staff members were always coming in to
check on him or ask if he needed anything.
Blake was a tremendous help in bringing David
to the boat and assisting me in caring for him. One afternoon we walked to
downtown Mystic and perused the charming shops.
It was fun to see Blake looking at “baby things.” He is thrilled, as are all of us, with the
happy prospect of becoming a father in December. We loved having our grandson
with us and hated to see him leave when his four day visit ended.
Physical
therapists came to the boat each day for a week and then three days for two
weeks thereafter. Connecticut medical
care has been amazing! After returning to the boat, the walker was quickly
abandoned and David ambulated with the help of a cane. Pain was a factor for several weeks and David
remained on medication. This provided
the rest he needed for healing but it also made him very lethargic.
As the
pain subsided, David became eager to see people and go out for short periods. Andrew and Maribel Colton, our Mystic friends
from 2011, joined us one evening for Happy Hour. Although both are in their eighties, they are
interesting, fun, and lively people who are always delightful company. They inspire us with their adventurous and
optimistic approach to life.
On June
12, we were visited by Broadway Baptist Church friends, John and Jane
Freese. They stated they came on a
“Mercy” mission to visit David. We were
delighted to show them our boat and they graciously said “all the right things”
that we love to hear. We enjoyed a
delicious lunch at the Skipper’s Dock
restaurant in Stonington and toured the village with its many exquisite
eighteenth and nineteenth century homes.
It was wonderful to see friends from Fort Worth and their visit was a
great morale boost for both of us.
On the
following day, we had another delightful experience when Linda and Phil
Hardberger docked near us in their beautiful new Fleming 55’ motor yacht. We had Happy Hour on our boat one evening and
then went to Captain Daniel Packer
for dinner on the next. Phil was at
Baylor when we were there in the fifties and he and Linda are experienced
boaters. We hope to join them in July in
Maine.
On June
19, David saw Dr. Hudgins for the final evaluation of his progress. The doctor was very pleased and dismissed him
from further physical therapy. He
advised him to take frequent short walks to increase mobility and build
stamina. We celebrated with lunch at a
local Tex-Mex restaurant to satisfy David’s incessant craving for Mexican food. It was good but bland.
Pain
continued to be a problem as the “good knee” rebelled from favoring the “bad
knee” and began to cause considerable pain.
David returned to Dr. Hudgins a week later to have cortisone injections. This resulted in almost immediate relief from
the pain but lasted only two days before pain returned with a vengeance. Medication provided only temporary relief. Despite
the pain, David was determined to leave as scheduled on June 28 and we made
plans to do so.
Throughout
our time in Mystic, we were consistently cheered by many calls and cards from
friends in Texas. Frank and Beth Wilson,
traveling on a luxury river cruise in France, interrupted their trip to call us
several times. Our First Friday friends checked in often. Other friends were
equally solicitous and family called daily.
A lovely plant arrived from Jeff and Judy Schemedelkoff and David
received a card signed by members of his Sunday School Class. It was great to have so many expressions of
caring and concern.
Bob, our
near neighbor on the dock, joined us for Happy Hour and we learned more about
his 50’ wooden sailboat built sixty years ago in Norway. Bob is a widower, retired, and lives in
Pennsylvania. He is restoring his boat
and plans to take it to sea in a few months for extended cruising. He worked on it sporadically for seven years
but still has a great deal more to do. He
is doing all the work himself. Part of the
interior of his boat was made into a workshop where he made many of the parts
he needed for restoration. He had a large cat on board that never went ashore.
Several
nights later we invited Andrew and Maribel to join us again. We were interested to hear about their
daughter and her husband’s work with the Gameen Foundation which provides small
loans to women in impoverished circumstances throughout the world. This work was begun by Mohammed Yannis and
was detailed in his acclaimed book Banker
to the Poor. I had read the book
several years ago and was pleased to hear more about the program. We always enjoy the Colsons and appreciate
very much their many kindnesses to us.
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