Oh, I love this story of your Matchbox talisman. Because I've written so many stories about neurology and the oddities of the brain--that tends to be my rabbit hole. I distinctly remember reaching up to a paramedic after one of my own seizures and seeing a splotch of grey-pink brain on his shirt and trying to say, "Um, I-I need that back..." Now, I just have a little plastic brain on my desk. Far less gruesome, lol.
Ok, that's going to stay with me forever. I had similar moments while reading your book, at least when I wasn't admiring your sense of humor woven through the prose. Man, this world...
I total get that. I'm writing my novel for teen girls, for me really, when I was going through all that pain and darkness. I'm deep into it and something tear up reading scenes I've written, in wonder about their truth and heartbreak.
I used to work in the ER and was told many stories of extrications and saw lots of emergencies. There is a kind of wonderful frenetic calm in a trauma room- everyone has a role and plays it through, helping get that patient stabilized. I usually was the student nurse helping the trauma nurses, and so I’d stand by and run for supplies, and other small things. There is a method, a literal rule book of “first this then that” that the team uses to stabilize. And sometimes the person stabilizes and sometimes they don’t. It’s often out of the hands of the people helping once they do all the things they can. And that can be helpful for those left behind in some way. We did actually do all the things that we know how to do to save the life. It wasn’t enough, but the family and the team can know that we did all the things.
At one point, when I was dropped out of college and drinking myself into addiction, I worked at a hotel. The owner was a great guy- he was an avid snowmobiler (this was in the adks- lake freeze over and many drive over the lakes all winter) He even bought his 5 year old a kids snowmobile. One late winter day, he fell through the ice, and he lost his arm in the accident. It was a really long road for him to recover, but he did, and he changed in a lot of ways. But all in good ways. His marriage actually strengthened, and he was a lot more cautious about things like kids on snowmobiles (they sold his son’s and decided to wait for him to be older). He was still a great guy, but he’d gone through this big thing and come out the other side. It was really interesting to witness.
Oh, I love this story of your Matchbox talisman. Because I've written so many stories about neurology and the oddities of the brain--that tends to be my rabbit hole. I distinctly remember reaching up to a paramedic after one of my own seizures and seeing a splotch of grey-pink brain on his shirt and trying to say, "Um, I-I need that back..." Now, I just have a little plastic brain on my desk. Far less gruesome, lol.
Ok, that's going to stay with me forever. I had similar moments while reading your book, at least when I wasn't admiring your sense of humor woven through the prose. Man, this world...
Crazy, huh?
Yes.
Thank you!!!! I hope so. It's everything. You know what I mean. :)
I total get that. I'm writing my novel for teen girls, for me really, when I was going through all that pain and darkness. I'm deep into it and something tear up reading scenes I've written, in wonder about their truth and heartbreak.
Sounds like it's going to be a great book, Rebecca.
I used to work in the ER and was told many stories of extrications and saw lots of emergencies. There is a kind of wonderful frenetic calm in a trauma room- everyone has a role and plays it through, helping get that patient stabilized. I usually was the student nurse helping the trauma nurses, and so I’d stand by and run for supplies, and other small things. There is a method, a literal rule book of “first this then that” that the team uses to stabilize. And sometimes the person stabilizes and sometimes they don’t. It’s often out of the hands of the people helping once they do all the things they can. And that can be helpful for those left behind in some way. We did actually do all the things that we know how to do to save the life. It wasn’t enough, but the family and the team can know that we did all the things.
At one point, when I was dropped out of college and drinking myself into addiction, I worked at a hotel. The owner was a great guy- he was an avid snowmobiler (this was in the adks- lake freeze over and many drive over the lakes all winter) He even bought his 5 year old a kids snowmobile. One late winter day, he fell through the ice, and he lost his arm in the accident. It was a really long road for him to recover, but he did, and he changed in a lot of ways. But all in good ways. His marriage actually strengthened, and he was a lot more cautious about things like kids on snowmobiles (they sold his son’s and decided to wait for him to be older). He was still a great guy, but he’d gone through this big thing and come out the other side. It was really interesting to witness.
You have such great stories! Thank you for sharing. This is amazing.