Day 101: Her Hip Don’t Lie…

Today is a very important day:

It is the one year anniversary of the day Nonna (pausing for dramatic effect…) broke her hip.

Now I know you are all reading this in disbelief: Nonna? Injured?

But, as all things Nonna…this story is like nothing you have ever heard. I hope you are all prepared…this is probably going to be a long one.

6:30am: Nonna awakens.  She greets the day as she normally does: walks around and kisses her Jesus statues and heads downstairs to make her coffee. (See below picture of Nonna’s kitchen, notice window and 4 pictures of Jesus). 

6:45 am: On this particular morning in late November, she felt a slight draft.  As you can see: Nonna has a window that is directly above her stove.  So Nonna decided that it was time for her to repair the window.  So, she got out her stepstool, screwdriver, and climbed up on top of her stove to tighten the window.

7:00 am: After she finished repairing the window, she went to climb back down.  She missed the step-stool and fell directly on her left hip.

In Nonna’s words: I know its no good.

(I will tell the rest of Nonna’s story in her own words…as of course, her command of the english language is nothing short of masterful)

Nonna: I sit down and I say “Lord, your will be done. Thank you.  You suffer for me a lot and I can suffer on you a little bit.  Thank you. Thank you. I know its a miracle.  I try and roll myself and I cant get up.  So I get the chair and I put my stomacha up and I get an apple and I try and go upstairs and I go up stairs and I get in my bed and I stay there til 9am.  I don even know what I did upstairs. My stomacha get me up stairs.  I open one door, I cant open the other one.  Then I open my television and watch my shows.  Then 9am your aunt she call and say “oh you still home? Can you give me a favor, i left some chicken can you make some soup for me? and then I said “Jackie…I fell down…I thinkin I broke my hip.”  And she say WHA! WHA!  Like she go CRAZY.  Then she callin the ambulance.  You aunt she call daddy, your daddy call your step momma and then she come over and the police come over. They taken off the window because no body gonna get on my house and they come in and take on me to the hospital.  Good thing I wash my (come se chiama) because I go over to the hospital and the doctor see everything.  That’s it. Everybody come over.  It was beautiful.

Ok, now for some of my additional commentary:

Nonna was scheduled for surgery this next morning, she basically had a partial hip replacement.  The next morning the doctor came in to prep her for surgery.

Dr. Tu: Hello, My name is Doctor Tu.  Like the number tu (puts out two fingers)

Nonna: Peace be with you.  (puts out two fingers and touches the doctors fingers…)

(No serious….it was like slow motion when that happened – everyone in her room lost it, I don’t know how Dr. Tu kept it together.)

Surgery was successful.  Nonna got new balls (and socket).

About 4 days later, Nonna was out of the hospital and she was being transferred to the rehabilitation center:

Nonna: I get dressed up real nice in beautiful night gown.  I look so beautiful.  And I get my pocketbook and the nurse come over and say what you doing? I say, wait for him (point to male nurse).  The nurse she call the man over and he come over and I say…let’s go.  He was so handsome. I would go but your grandfather would kill me.  (note: my grandfather has been dead for 35 years).

The amazing thing is, for most people, a partial hip replacement is a long process.  But for Nonna, she was home in 10 days. Walking without a walker 5 days after that. Walking without a cane by Christmas. By May, she climbed the Vatican’s cupula (all 320 steps…) and was pushing her push mower lawn mower without issue.

(In fact, as an additional side note:  Nonna’s favorite part about traveling now is that she sets off the airport security alarm.  She pulls out her “Doctor’s note” and says, you see, I have metal inside on me.  Obviously the security guards check her anyway, to which her response:  Why you no believe on my note?  My doctor is no good?)

There was how ever…one draw back.

Nonna’s left leg is 1/2 inch longer than her right leg.

Nonna: I can’t figure it out.  They put a big ball on me? Is that what makin my leg longer? I don have no idea. But the thing is just one.  You find out how many people love on you when you breakin your hip.  People I don even remember send me cards and flowers and prayers.  I was so..how you say…popemlar (popular) the security guard told me “I cant give you no more passes. You have too many people on your room.”  Don get me wrong, some people I don want to see AT ALL. But it was nice. I am the number one woman.  It was a miracle. A miracle. I thank you Jesus all the time for my hip.

…and then…on this one year anniversary she began to show me her physical therapy exercises

Nonna: See…I was the number one student in terapy.