“We” had an accident.
Lisa decided she wanted to get her motorcycle license. It seemed like a good idea. We signed up for the motorcycle class down at the MVR (motor vehicle registry) in Alice Springs. But it’s much better if you already know how to ride before you get there, so we borrowed a small 80 cc dirt bike from a friend and went out to practice.
She had been doing really well, but the third time we went out riding Lisa was on a concrete incline, like a steep driveway, working on starting the bike moving uphill. She gave it a lot of gas, and unintentionally did a “wheelie”. Since it was a small bike, she was able to just stand up and let the bike come out from under her, which would have been good, but she held onto the handlebars and somehow the bike flipped over and hit her right knee, pushing it in towards her left knee. It ruptured her ACL and her MCL, which means she will need reconstructive surgery.
Lisa on motorcycle
We went to the emergency room, thinking she had just sprained or twisted her knee. After just four hours of waiting, they took an X-ray. The young asian doctor, in his jeans and sneakers and his non-understandable broken english, said the work “fracture”. What he meant was that the X-ray showed clearly that the MCL had pulled a bit of bone loose where it had been anchored to the bone before. Some things are just obvious in an X-ray. They put her in a velcro splint, gave her some crutches and painkillers, and home we went at 1:00 AM.
The next day we went to see the doctor associated with the base where I work, who set us up an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon from Sydney who was going to be visiting in Alice Springs just four days later. Specialists are often not available in Alice Springs, so we were glad to be able to see someone so quickly.
Lisas leg brace
To make a long story short, we will need to fly to Sydney on Sunday August 26 so that Lisa can have an MRI at 9:00 AM on Monday the 27th, then reconstructive knee surgery at St. Luke’s hospital on Tuesday Aug. 28th (7:00 AM arrival time). For those who pay attention to dates and anniversaries, Tuesday Aug. 28th will be the one year anniversary of when we left Colorado Springs for Australia, which itself was the 30 year anniversary of…
Did I mention that she was doing really well?!
gonewalkaboutwithgod 
Well, happy anniversary then, in Sydney, in a hospital. Lisa, I’m sorry for your injury. I’m sorry this means you probably won’t be an “Easy Rider” anytime soon. Is there a bright side? Well, this may be a good time to try out all (and I mean all) of the Austrailian wines.
Thanks Steve or te complete report. And Lisa, know our love ans prayers are with you, forvrapid recovery.
Charlayne and family have been with us since late June. Al retired from the Army, and they have rfelocated to San Antonio. They have just rented a appartment, for a year, giving them time to Rght relative settled. … They are affiliating with A Healing Prayer Ministry, with Healing Tree International, Ou of Penn State Medical Center. Al is on his way to Turkey, Israel, and possibly Iraqi next week. Love and blessings to the two of you,
Ray and Ruih Barry