Thank You, Sonora Regional Medical Center ER

A collage and mask made by Paradise.

On Thursday night, our three year old daughter, Paradise, was jumping on our bed - despite warnings not to - and fell, just on the mattress, but badly enough so that she was unable to move her head and did not want us to lift her.

We were relieved that she could still move her arms and legs, but were sufficiently concerned about her neck to call 911. Within minutes, a fire and ambulance team arrived and (with Hudson timing them: it took precisely the three minutes they said it would) strapped Paradise to a rigid "pediatric board" with head and neck restraints, so that they could move her safely.

We were taken to ER at Sonora Regional Medical Center, where Paradise was given immediate and very gentle and caring attention. She required X-rays and then a CT scan, but thankfully, in the end, all was good and, aside from a sore neck, Paradise is fine.

We just want to thank everyone involved, including the fire and ambulance responders, and everyone in Sonora Regional ER, not least the wonderful Dr Stephanie Stuart (good name:) and the nurses and the team in X-ray and CT imaging. They could not have been nicer or more concerned for Paradise's welfare or friendlier to both her and me. We were exhausted by the time we left, just before 1am, but immensely relieved that nothing serious had happened.

I was amused - although still traumatized - when the first question Dr Stuart asked Paradise when we arrived was, "Don't you know the story of the monkeys jumping on the bed?"

She does - the book is Ten Little Monkeys: Jumping On The Bed - and she also knows the book's refrain: "Momma called the doctor and the doctor said, 'No more monkeys jumping on the bed.'"

Hopefully, a lesson learned. Hopefully!

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