Linda Hall: Getting back on horse just has to wait

Linda Hall

I had one of those phone calls on Friday evening that made my heart leap into my throat and my legs feel weak.

It was just before 6pm and I had just poured myself a glass of wine when the phone rang.

"Mum, did you get my text?"

No, I'd just got in the door.

"We are at the hospital."

What!

My granddaughter had fallen off a horse and was knocked out.

Her mother had arrived to find her lying in a paddock surrounded by people.

She lay there with people talking to her and trying to keep her awake for half an hour before the ambulance arrived.

By the time I got to the hospital to pick up her brother, she was in a bed in the Emergency Department. I never want to see her like that again.

I was only in there for a minute - she looked at me, with her eyes half-closed, said "Nanny", then sort of rolled onto her back, moaning, and saying she wanted to be sick - she was dry-retching while her father held a bowl for her and tried to soothe her.

I wanted to wail - of course I didn't. I spoke to her and rubbed her leg for a few seconds, then left with her brother.

I was worried sick but had to hide it from Master 5. He told me all about what had happened after he and his mum arrived at "the scene".

Then he said "I hope my sister is okay".

Crikey, I was blinking back tears and decided it was best to change the subject.

So we talked about food - always a good subject with this chap. It was well past his teatime so he was "very hungry".

After stopping at his house to grab PJs and a change of clothes, we headed home with chicken and chips, which he devoured while talking flat out, making us laugh.

All the while I was holding my phone, waiting for text updates: "waiting to see a doctor", "she's still vomiting", "going for a CT scan - doctor worried that she's still vomiting".

Then finally a phone call to say the scan was clear but she was staying in overnight for observation.

I was at the hospital late the next morning when the doctor said she could go home BUT no riding for six weeks. Her face dropped. No gymnastics, limited screen time, and easing back into school.

It hit home then just how close to disaster we were.

Then I thought about all the sports players, especially in rugby, who get knocked out on a regular basis - hardly any of them wear headgear (my granddaughter had a helmet on - thank goodness).

I'm certainly no expert but even I can see that over the years rugby players have become bigger, faster, heavier.

Professional players are not on the field simply to enjoy a game - they are there to win at all costs. And it's not just rugby - all sport seems to have become so fierce.

I wonder what will happen to these players in years to come - will the glory be worth the consequences in later years.

I realise accidents happen all the time. In fact, someone told me that when they were younger they fell out of bed, hit their head on a cupboard, and next day at school fainted. The fall had caused concussion but no one realised.

While we don't want to wrap our children in cotton wool, we do need to make sure if they suffer a concussion they follow doctors' orders so the brain has a chance to recover, as should anyone who's been knocked out - why risk your life for a sport?

I have no doubt she will be back on that horse. I wouldn't expect anything less from her - but it certainly won't be until she has the all-clear.

• FOOTNOTE: My daughter couldn't praise hospital and ED staff enough: "They were fantastic with her and us at all times." An off-duty ambulance driver told her part of the reason ambulances could take some time to arrive was that people called them for the wrong reasons, stretching resources.
• Linda Hall is assistant editor of Hawke's Bay Today.