How an ER Trip Reminded Me to Prepare for the Unexpected
August 29, 2019
This past weekend, we were enjoying one of our last summer weekends in Seattle. Unlike most parts of the country, our kids don’t go back to school until Labor Day. Our daughter's settled in at college, my teenage boys had plans with their friends, and my husband had planned a “date day” with our five-year-old daughter.
I was so excited to dive into a few work projects that have been on the back-burner due to prioritizing a rare disease start-up's launch team buildout.
Literally 14 minutes after I'd sat down to my computer, I got a call from my husband that his mother had fallen and couldn’t get up. Luckily my husband is really strong and was able to lift his mom up and carry her over his shoulder to get her to the ER where they spent the rest of the day.
Diagnosis: Broken Tibia. It’s actually more complicated, but in short, she broke her leg at 72 years young. Surgery is needed and a long road to recovery.
The discussions came quickly: Where would she live (our house or my sister in-laws')? She literally can’t move without assistance, so interviews for an in-home assistant are happening right now.
I have watched the most INDEPENDENT 72-year-old woman I know go to the most DEPENDENT woman of any age. Everything changed for her in an instant.
It made me think: Where do I need to get things in order in my life? I made my own little list:
Six months of living expenses in the bank.
Get fit so that, if needed, I could carry someone.
Get more organized in my business: Build-in consistency, so that I am not waiting for a special weekend to complete projects.
It also made me think of all the people who reach out to me every day over LinkedIn asking for help with their careers. It takes so much courage to think through what's needed to get from point A to B, before a critical moment happens (in this case, it might be downsizing, as opposed to a fall). I want to help you get ready now and I hope you know you can always reach out to me for support on your job search.
In the meantime, my family would appreciate any prayers, energy, or positive healing vibes you could send my MIL’s way. Thank you!
