In early February of this year during a fluke snow storm, I fell and broke my left ankle in two places. Not only was it extremely painful, but it also greatly limited my mobility. I’m still recovering but am thankfully mobile again and not dependent on others to help me any longer. I’m a very proud person and since I am normally the person most people call when they need help, it’s super hard for me to ask for help when I need it.
In this situation, I was in so much pain, on lots of pain meds and not really able to maneuver the crutches very well. I did reach out to friends and was more than amazed by the support and help that they were willing to give to me. They jumped into action and brought me lunches, dinners, cooked for me, cleaned my apartment and so much more!
For the first two weeks that I was injured, my fiance was great and got me all set up in the living room with a large water bottle, a thermos with hot water for tea (I LOVE English Breakfast tea and drink it all morning instead of coffee), snacks, pillows, magazines, my computer and anything else I may need before he left for work each morning. I was able to get to the kitchen to make lunch but bringing lunch back to the living room to actually eat it was super hard. If I didn’t have help, I had to balance on one leg while standing in the kitchen, at the counter, with my crutches and try to eat. Luckily my appetite wasn’t very big and I was also doing a crazy 40 day diet during this time, so I only ate twice a day and most meals were fairly easy to fix. My friends and a few acquaintances came to my aid no questions asked and without any reasons why they couldn’t help. They were so helpful. I’m still amazed and grateful!
I think for almost 3 weeks, during the most trying part of my recovery, I had someone over every day for an hour or longer. They made me lunch, cleaned up my apartment or just hung out and kept me company while they worked on their laptop in my living room. It really made me see how many loving people I have in my life and how blessed I am. My family doesn’t live near and my friends have become my second family. Having help with chores was great, but having great company and knowing that these special people were here because they wanted to help during a tough time touched me more than they will ever know. I believe that most people are innately good and want to help and give back however small that may be. I also think that most people don’t know what they can do to help when things like this happen to loved ones. So my suggestion would be, if you need help, just ask. Some will say they can’t help, but you will most likely be pleasantly surprised (like I was) that most people would love to help in a small way if they can. I look forward to the day I can give back to all of those that helped me and are still helping me as I recover from my broken ankle. I am eternally grateful!