My husband fell out of a tree.

My husband fell out of tree. It sounds funny! It's true, he did and it really, really scared me.

I think I've made references to this event throughout this past year and now I have to write about it.

It was Aug. 7th, 2006, the long weekend in August. John was working for Investor's Group at the time, but he had the day off and decided to do some much needed yard work. One of the things John likes to do is prune trees. He has done it every summer, since I've known him. He tells me that he learned how to do it properly when he was on the Kibbutz in Israel. They were assigning work jobs and looked at him, saying, "You're from Canada. There are lots of big trees in Canada. You must know how to prune trees. Go to the grapefruit orchard."

That bright, beautiful summer day last year started as usual. John and the boys were all up before me. (I used my pregnancy as an excuse to sleep in. The truth is that I'm a night person and I don't wake up easily.) When I got up, I got breakfast for the boys who were dressed and anxious to go out to help Dad in the yard. I showered and dressed, all the while listening to the sounds of my husband and sons getting out the ladder and tree cutting tools, and playing with the puppy. I stepped out onto the deck when John called to ask me how the first tree was looking. I suggested he move a little to see/reach the dead branches that were clearly visible to me. I've been told that when you're up in a tree it's hard to see all the dead wood. He was able to get most of the dead branches and I affirmed that he was done. Then I headed back inside to make my bed and straighten up a little, while he moved to the second tree. Just as I was smoothing my blanket I heard a sound of branches breaking and falling and a thud. Then my husband's voice, "Boys, call your Mom. Tell Mom to come here. Now!"

I hurried outside and there was my husband, flat on his back, beside the tree. His comment to me was "Call 9-1-1!" I don't remember what I said or how quickly I moved. All I do remember was a voice inside my head screaming, "Don't reach for the phone! Don't do it! That will make this real! He can't be hurt! He can't be paralyzed! Oh no! What should I do?!" I think I froze on the deck for a moment or two. I think I remember John having to tell me to call 9-1-1 again. I know that I turned around, took a few deep breaths and dialed.

The man who answered was very kind and helpful. I got a blanket for John, who promptly put it under his head. Then I went to get a sleeping bag for him to help fight the shock his body was experiencing, meanwhile breathing a sigh of relief that he could move his arms and head. When the man asked how far he had fallen, John told me he had been above the roofline. We estimated it was a fall of 10 to 15 feet. He kept me on the line for the 15 minute wait for the ambulance from Rosthern. In the meantime, I put the dog in the kennel with food and water, sent my son on his bike across town to get Grandma, gathered my husband's wallet and healthcard, got water for myself, and when my Mom arrived, made arrangements for my boys for the day. When the ambulance arrived, John was put on a spine board and we headed off to Rosthern.

X-rays showed there were no fractures or breaks. He was in a lot of pain; he couldn't sit or walk that first day. The next day he was sent to the University Hospital in Saskatoon to see a specialist, particularly because he couldn't walk. The diagnosis was simply that he had sprained all the muscles in his back.

John spent the next six weeks basically flat on his back. Thankfully he had been seeing a physiotherapist for a hip injury incurred playing hockey. So the physiotherapist was able to treat his back and his hip after the swelling went down. This event also made John think about where his life was going. One day he looked at me and simply said, "I really want to be a pastor." I knew then that he was saying good-bye to Investor's Group.

One of the most negative things connected to this incident was the response, or lack of thereof, from our "Care Group" and John's family in Ontario. I was so scared, seeing John lying on the ground, that he was going to be paralyzed. I didn't know who to call or what to say, so I sent an email to our Care Group and to John's immediate family. The only response I got back was, "Sorry to hear about what happened. I hope all is well, and the recovering goes great! Talk to you soon. How are the boys? Did he finish the trees before he fell? Haha." I was so mad at receiving that message.

It still makes me mad, reading it more than a year later. This was no laughing matter; it wasn't a joke. Even now, more than a year later, John's back gets tired very easily. Austin was born about five weeks after this fall; John could hardly hold him at first. John couldn't carry him in the baby car seat and even now, buckling Austin into the car is very uncomfortable. There are times when John is doing yard work that he simply has to stop and rest because his back is sore. I am thankful that he wasn't paralyzed and that he recognizes his limits. Although this summer he again was on a ladder, pruning trees in our new yard.