Last summer I was in a pretty bad wave runner accident. I was playing on a friend's wave runner and going significantly faster than a person of my skills should be allowed. In a fury of male hormone overdrive, I wanted to see how fast the wave runner could go. I was told it could go over 60 mph but had to find out for myself. Well, somewhere around 58 or 59 mph, as the wave runner crested a small wake and suddenly slowed dramatically, I was instantly afforded a lesson in several Newtonian laws of physics. Specifically, an object in motion stays in motion and something else about when two equal and opposite forces collide. As the wave runner rapidly decreased in speed, my body didn't. I went flying like a circus clown shot out of a cannon. And while there wasn't a net to brace my fall, the water did a surprisingly good job. However, as I recovered from my Evil Knievel impression, I understood the consequences of the second law of physics. Needless to say, the human knee cap and the handle bars of a wave runner are not equal and opposite. Something had to give and it wasn't the handlebars. As I lay in the water, I looked down at what used to be my knee and saw a wonderful concave indentation where a knee cap used to be. The skin wasn't broken, but there wasn't a bone in sight.
Skipping ahead, I knew I was in trouble but didn't quite appreciate how much. Aside from shattering my kneecap, I had also broken my wrist and had to have it casted. The doctors managed to find most of the bones from my knee and wired them back together and stitched me back. The pain from the accident was nothing compared to how I felt after the surgery.
I spent the next few days in the hospital in excruciating pain. I started trying to walk again, but with great difficulty and discomfort. However, a hospital is no place for the sick or injured because you can't get any rest. Finally I was allowed to go home to the comforts of my own bed.
The first few days were great as my wife took care of my every need. I was unable to walk and even couldn't go to the bathroom without a lot of help. Unfortunately however, my wife still had to work and was required to go out of town for a few days. My family lives many states away and were simply unable to cover. The only one with the time to help out was her mother. My mother-in-law has always been a wonderful lady to me and I welcomed the help that she was gracious enough to offer.