It’s Saturday, a day we sleep until we wake up, except if there’s an early morning activity. Sweetheart and I were still snoozing when Agbenu woke up and came to greet us. After exchanging greetings and hugs, she said:

“Ofu’s right foot is hurting and he can’t stand on it, so I came down to get him an icepack.”

Me: “What happened?” (Still sleepy)

Agbenu: “Oh! He hurt his foot on the trampoline yesterday. He wasn’t flipping like the last time (recently he got hurt while learning to back-flip on the trampoline).”

Me: “Ok. I’ll be there.”

Agbenu: “Mm-hmm.” And off she went.

So I dragged myself out of bed and headed upstairs to their room, where Agbenu was taping the ice pack to his foot. Meanwhile, Oche was frantically searching for something on his device.

Me: “Ofu, what happened?”

Ofu: “I was jumping on the trampoline and the wind blew and I landed on the metal part.”

I did a quick physical assessment: no open areas, swelling or warmth but tender spot identified.

Me: “Can you try to walk?”

He tried to make an effort but Oche barred him an said:

“No, dad. We need to be sure that he doesn’t have a fracture.”

Then he began to scan his tablet over Ofu’s right foot.

Me: “What are you doing?”

Oche: “I just searched up on YouTube for how to do an X-ray from your tablet and I found this cool X-ray app, so I just installed it so we can check if he has a fracture or not.”

Me: “Wow! Good thinking Oche! Ok, let’s see.” (Fascinated by his ingenuity, I let him continue with his exploration).

Meanwhile, Agbenu quickly got on her knees beside the bed and said a quick prayer.

“Oh God, please, please don’t let this be a fracture. In Jesus name. Amen!”🙏

Now, back to Oche.

Although, I knew it couldn’t have been a real X-ray because exposure to X-rays requires wearing special protective gears. However, I became intrigued and inquisitive as we went back and forth between the YouTube instructional video and the X-ray app. The app wasn’t functioning as shown in the video, in spite of following the instructions.

Agbenu: “Can I see?”

Oche handed her the tablet. She watched the video for a moment and exclaimed:

“Oh, I see why it’s not working. Here, it says this is just a simulation.”

Me & Oche: “Ohhhh!”

ACTION TIME!

Me: “Ok. Now we need to take him to the ER so they can check it out then we’ll be sure. Ofu, I know it hurts but I’m sure that it won’t be a very serious wound, we just need to be sure. Ok?

Ofu: “Ok, dad.”

Me: “Mama, stay at home and help mommy while Oche and I take him to the ER.”

Agbenu: “Ok.”

🚑 Off we went to the ER to rule out fracture.

• X-ray taken
• Result negative – no fractures
• Ankle Sprain found
• To rest with OTC pain medicine.

Oche showed up as the big brother as usual and piggybacked Ofu ❤

Now on our way back home:

Me: “Thank God, that it wasn’t anything too serious.”

Oche: “Yeah.”

Me: “Ofu, you’ll be ok soon.”

Ofu: “Ok.”

Back home.

Me: “Oche thank you for acting smart. You protected him from hurting himself further by not letting stand on the foot. You also tried to investigate and see if he had a fracture or not. Searching on YouTube to figure out how to and discovering the X-ray app shows that you are using your research skills. That is so cool.”

Oche: “Thanks -ad.”

Me: “Mama, I like how you immediately tried to make Ofu comfortable with the icepack and reported it to us. When it’s an emergency, we call for help and that’s what you did. The other thing you did which so good is praying about it. You know like we always say, we pray about…

All: “Everything.”

Me: “Exactly! Nothing is too big or too small to pray about. That was cute and I’m sure it must have made God smile. Good job, Mama!”

She cuddled my right upper arm, rubbed her face on it and my right shoulder in affection.❤

Me: “So good job, Oche and Mama for being a good big brother and a good big sister to Ofu. You guys showed good teamwork and that’s how we take care of each other. Ofu, so what do you say to Oche and Mama?”

Ofu: “Thank you.”

Me: “That’s right! Thank God it’s not a serious injury, your foot will heal in a few days, just let it rest and take the pain medicine as the doctor said. Don’t be afraid but be careful next time and be sure that you’re landing in the middle area of the trampoline. Ok?

Ofu: “Ok.”

Me: “Group hug!” ❤

So what insights do I gain?

• I see support system in action
• I see tapping into spiritual strength
• I see smart thinking
• I see unity of purpose

• 4/13/19