It’s been a while since I’ve written. 6.5 months to be exact. My husband, who is a social media and communications guru, tells me I need to blog more regularly. And, typically, I agree, but I actually sort of have an excuse this time!
You see, July 27th was the day that my life changed dramatically, at least for this year, and maybe for life, as my “ever the realist” surgeon tells me. But I digress.
The day started as any other day. My husband came home early to pack for a fishing trip. I was bringing supplies out to the vehicle for an evening site visit before my July 30th wedding. As I mounted the stairs with a particularly large glass water dispenser, my foot caught on the stair, I pitched forward, sending the dispenser crashing down, and I inadvertently stopped my fall with my left hand. All in the course of less than a second, the glass cut into my arm, severing all 8 tendons and a major nerve. (Sorry about that gory detail! I’ll spare you the truly disturbing pics). There was much drama that ensued, including a husband trying out the tourniquet approach (bad idea), an ambulance that whisked me away as I gave frantic instructions about dinner in the oven and what to say to the bride, and a giant mess of glass and, er, blood, that needed cleaning up before the kids stepped in it!
Hanging out post-surgery
To make a long and disturbing story short-ish, I had surgery a couple days later and all was attached again. My surgeon did a wonderful job, but warned me of the seriousness of this injury and of the particularly lengthy recovery for a nerve injury of this degree. I couldn’t feel a good chunk of my hand, or move two fingers at the time. It would take months and countless hours of physio to fully recover. I was disheartened that our summer travel plans were canceled and, for that matter, most of the plans for the next few months – but the most significant blow was to my cooking skills in catering, and specifically my passion for teaching cooking in the form of my studio classes that I’ve been running on a regular basis for the last three years.
Needless to say, I was in a bit of a funk.
Fast forward a few months and it’s amazing how perspective can change. I can look back on a successful summer of weddings, made possible by an amazing team who helped carry the weight as I managed the scenes from a less “hands on” place than I was used to. I feel thankful that only my hand is injured and it continues to improve daily with new feelings as the nerve starts to fire again and I regain control of the muscles. I learned self-care, which is hard for me, and became quite efficient with one hand for a time! I developed patience – with myself and with others – out of necessity. I can proudly say that I am once again two-handed, while still doing regular physio (I’ve still got a ways to go in terms of complete functionality, but I’m definitely making strides!). I’m starting to take on more catering, I am learning to ask for help when I need it, and, most importantly, I am finally gaining the confidence to tackle another cooking class where everyone will be watching my hands as I show intricate techniques in knife work, cooking and plating (ha!).
This month I plan on doing my first official cooking class since the accident. I’m excited! And in January, I’ll start up my regular classes again. So, for those of you holding on to gift certificates, be sure to keep posted on my classes! And for those of you thinking, “Man, I would love to get in on this cooking class experience,” you, my friend, are in luck! You will get to experience the kitchen from someone who has learned anew to appreciate the art and joy of the culinary world… because you never know when your world might be thrown upside down 😉 I can’t wait to host you. Sign up for my monthly notices of upcoming cooking classes in the footer at the bottom of this page and let’s make some amazing food together!
Call me at 708-3509 or drop an email and let’s chat about cooking classes!
Making progress! (And yes I applied a filter so the scar wouldn’t be so harsh!)