Our brave little patient

We had quite a scare in Barcelona. After our Gaudi tour, we'd bought tickets to enter the Sagrada Familia but our entrance time was a couple of hours after the walking tour ended. Since we had around two hours to spare, we thought we'd get some drinks and snacks and just hang out at the playground opposite the Sagrada. Mia was super happy that she could play on the play equipment. Shad, myself and Ryan were sitting on a bench just infront of the slide structure. I was finishing my drink and just looked up for one second, as soon as I looked ahead I saw Mia falling from the monkey bars onto the ground. It all happened so fast, none of us even knew that she had gone on the monkey bars. It didn't register how high she'd fallen from but when she didn't pick herself up immediately, that really scared me. It's very unlike her, this little kid has a very high pain threshold and she's a tough cookie. Shad immieduately told me not to move her, we weren't sure if she'd hurt her neck or head. She was bleeding around the inside of her mouth and also her lips, and had a mouthful of sand. Shad picked her up once we sure she was ok but she was still in a lot of pain, telling us that her hands were very painful. So we rushed her to hospital in a taxi. After eight hours in the trauma ward, we finally took her home at 1:30am. Two broken wrists, a very bruised chin and jaw (and at that time we still weren't hundred percent sure that she hadn't injured her jaw too), scraped up knee, but this little girl was so brave, still very chirpy and smiley (after some pain relief medication of course) throughout the whole hospital ordeal. We can only thank God that she wasn't hurt even more, looking back at how it happened, it could have been a lot worse. 

That night at the hospital was a difficult one for all of us. Shad and I were frightened but trying not to show it, it's a horrible feeling when you know that she's hurting but we're unable to do anything to make it better. And it was even more frightening being in a foreign place where we couldn't really communicate with the doctors and nurses effectively. While we waited in the trauma unit, we saw many very sick people being wheeled in, and also their worried families. Poor Ryan was left on his own for quite some time in the waiting area while we were in the ward with Mia and a little later, he had to walk through the wards several times to get to us. It wasn't a nice environment to be in, and he was also scared and worried for his sister. 

Throughout this ordeal, we were treated with great kindness from complete strangers. At the playground, other parents, grandparents came up to offer help, water, tissues, ice packs, offers to call for an ambulance. The taxi driver we flagged down was actually not picking up passengers but the minute he saw Shad carrying Mia, he waved us into his car and when we got to the hospital he refused to take our money, telling us to go take her in, no need to pay it's free. All the doctors and nurses we came across were all very friendly and helpful. So thankful for the kindness and generosity of these strangers.

Minutes before the fall

In the trauma ward at Sant Pau hospital. Three X-rays later, after confirmation that both her wrists were broken, the doctors came in and put the casts on her arms. Just as we were about to leave, we noticed that the right side of her jaw had started to swell and she was starting to complain of pain. So back we went to the Pediatric unit to see the doctor there. While he didn't think Mis's jaw was broken he recommended that we see a maxillofacial specialist the following day just to be certain. 

Dinner while waiting to be discharged but all she could eat were the soft cookies as her jaw was hurting. 

Hospital number 2... Centre Medico Teknon. This private hospital was more like a resort than a medical facility!

Still on soft diet but thankfully no broken jaw. Given the all clear by the dentist and the maxillofacial surgeon. 

One day after the accident. A much happier patient, but constantly lamenting on how she "misses her old life before the casts". 😅

Back to the scene of the accident, only then did we realise how high the monkeys bars were. Mia refused to go near it, the minute she saw it she said "stupid monkeys bars, I want to go and kick it!"