I was walking through the parking lot one Monday morning on my way to work. I had just come back from a conference and was excited to start implementing some fantastic ideas. My hands were full of all my conference materials and then it happened. I tripped. In the parking lot. I fell directly on my right knee. And screamed.
My business partner Shanna Tingom had been just ahead of me. She came running back to assist. I saw her look at my knee and turn completely white. She told me not to look. She ran upstairs yelling for someone to call 9-1-1. I took Shanna’s advice and never looked.
Not too many terrible things were happening on that fateful April morning because within a few minutes a Gilbert cop showed up, quickly followed by six Gilbert firemen, and five members from my staff. So there we all were- standing (and laying) In the parking lot laughing and joking about my mishap.
I was soon whisked away by ambulance to start my journey of recovery. That process started with surgery to repair my fractured patella, which I had broken into five pieces. Some of it had even pulverized into dust.
Now one thing I failed to mention is I was wearing super cute Mark Jacobs white wedge shoes. The same shoes I was wearing when I tripped on a dance floor last year at the Gilbert Historical Museum Gala and broke my wrist and tore my rotator cuff. Those injuries required two surgeries and 9 months of rehab.
Before I was loaded into the ambulance, Peg, our Director of First Impressions, grabbed those cute shoes of mine and threw them right in the dumpster.
So the moral of the story? There are two really…
First: Accidents happen all the time. Some minor, some major. The more prepared you are ahead of time, the easier those accidents will be on family members. I have all my healthcare documents in place, including my healthcare power of attorney and HIPAA release. I was also carrying my emergency contact card. And if the worst would have happened, I also have life insurance to protect my family. (A friend told me someone she knew had the same surgery and died a week later from a blood clot!)
Second: Never buy super cute Mark Jacobs white wedge shoes. I think they are cursed. Even though the price tag said $79.99, those shoes really cost me 3 surgeries, months of rehab, and at least $12,000 in out-of-pocket medical expenses.
