Chopped Finger

DJ chopped his finger off in a door yesterday and I do mean chopped it off, actually maybe ripped it off would be a better term. We were at the gym. He was being grouchy because he wanted to open the big, heavy door to the child care but Isabel got to it first. So he stayed outside to open it himself. After he came inside he was standing by the hinge side of the door when that big, heavy door shut on his finger. DJ tried to pull his finger out of the shut door and ripped of the tip of his finger, a chunk of skin and tissue about the size of a pinto bean (thanks J), and the whole nail, I mean all of the nail even way past the cuticle. The firemen happened to be working out at the time so someone got them to come bandage DJ while the ambulance was on its way. I called my mom to come get the other kids and my mom is THE BEST. She was there before the ambulance got there. Alexandria colored a picture for DJ to take with him to the hospital. AJ was so worried his stomach was hurting. He kept asking if DJ was going to be okay and he wouldn't leave his side. Mom got the kids. And I jumped in the ambulance on the gurney to hold DJ and the finger on ice.

I won't bore you with the rest of the medical details (for those of you that want more gore there are pictures below) but DJ felt awful. It was an emotional day. He was sorry he hadn't listened to me to come in with the rest of us and now his finger was gone too. In the ER after they gave him pain killers I asked him if his finger was feeling better. "A little", he said, "but it hurts right here." He pointed to his heart and tears rolled down his cheeks. I know he was truly distressed over the whole situation. He felt bad for not listening and he felt bad about losing his fingertip and on top of all that there was the physical pain. All I could do was hug him and tell him it would be alright.

Although later, I had to stifle a laugh when he started crying again. "Dang it," he cried, "now I won't be able to shoot my shoot gun like a storm trooper and I just can't ride my motorcycle to Grandma's anymore." Apparently, fingertips are more functional than I thought.

Once we got home AJ was so glad to see him. They talked and talked about DJ's finger and the hospital, every detail down to what movies he watched and if his doctor was a boy or a girl. AJ asked if he can go swimming and DJ told him "after I grow a new finger." That's what the doctors told him will happen. He's going to be expecting a miracle so I'm praying for one.