A Misadventure and a Marathon

If the last post was entitled Jason's adventures, this one might aptly be called Jason's misadventure.  On Wednesday, October 2nd Jason got hit by a car while biking home from work.  I feel like this is one of those defining moments for our family that will forever change the way we look at life.  Life BC--Before the Crash--was less frightening.  Now we are much more personally aware of how everything can change in an instant.  We feel tremendously blessed that Jason is making a full recovery, but our hearts go out to all those who aren't as fortunate.

All right, enough drama.  Truly, for getting hit by a car, we are SO lucky.  Here's the low-down: Jason was going straight through an intersection from the bike lane when a car turned left into him.  When Jason realized the car was going to hit him, he slammed on his brakes and flew over his handlebars, landing on his head and shoulder.  The driver saw Jason sail through the air and fortunately braked hard as well.  The car's bumper hit Jason, but Jason didn't get run over.  

For anyone still needing explanation, Annika illustrated the incident.  First grade writing occasionally needs translation.  "One day Dad was biking.  He saw a green subaru."

"My Dad flew off his bike."

Fortunately, there's a happy ending, largely due to that blue helmet you see in Annie's pictures.  Without it, Jason's brains might have ended up on the pavement.  His high quality helmet was worth every penny.  He walked away without so much as a headache.

He did, however, have a pretty bad shoulder ache.  Jason broke his collarbone at the end by his shoulder.  He may have broken a rib as well.

Naturally, the kids were really worried, but took great care of him in the ER.

All things considered, the road rash could have been SO much worse.

Jason did get some pretty colorful bruising over the next few weeks.  (You're welcome, everyone.  Some sights you just can't unsee.)

The ER sent us home with a sling that doubled nicely as a hangout for Spark, at least until Jason could see an orthopedic specialist the following Monday.

What the ER did not specifically tell Jason was that he ought to avoid running marathons in the meantime.  I think they figured that was just common sense.  Little did they know, my hubby is anything but common.

Okay, in full disclosure this is a pretty controversial subject around our house.  When I got the phone call from Jason saying that he'd been hit by a car, I was extremely shaken.  While the physical healing has been painful, dealing with the emotional trauma has been equally difficult and will likely take longer.

The timing of the crash was rotten.  Occurring just a few days before the St. George marathon, Jason was fully trained and ready to race.  He'd worked so hard to get there!  He desperately wanted to run with his brother, and his brother desperately wanted to run with him.  Gosh darn it, they were fast enough to qualify for Boston together!  And so, Justin told Jason that if they taped the shoulder, running the race would probably be fine.  As a doctor, this may not have been great medical advice, but as a brother, I totally get it.  Jason and Justin love running together more than just about anything.  They were not about to let this setback thwart their dream.

I was torn.  I truly grieved for Jason.  I felt angry at the driver for robbing Jason of this chance to race Boston with Justin.  The police cited the driver in the incident, so I knew the insurance would pay for our medical bills and damage to the bike.  But how do you put a price on lost opportunities?  At the same time, it seemed pretty obvious (to me, at least) that running a marathon with a recently broken collar bone was a bad idea.  When I woke up at 4:30 Saturday morning and discovered that Jason had left for the starting line, I was not happy.

I may not have been happy, but Jason obviously was.  In hindsight, I look at the pictures and feel  proud of his grit, determination, and persistence in the face of adversity.  (Also, my apologies for not buying the photos.  We're a budget operation here.  Photo credit obviously goes to MarathonFoto.)

Jason and Justin did a better job running the course than we did cheering them.  Here we are waiting for the boys, but they'd already glided on past.

Jason ran the first eighteen miles at race pace with Justin, then slowed down a bit when exhaustion set in.  Here he is at the very final stretch, coming to give me a hug.  Christy looks so glad to see her brother.  She is so very supportive of us all.

Victory!  Justin finished in 3:01, qualifying for Boston.  Jason finished in 3:37, running an impressive 8:18/mile pace, despite his broken bone.  I tell you, these Wheelers are supermen.


The cheering squad.  Charles, Susie, Christy, Ben, Brianna, Ruby, and our kids all came down to St. George for the occasion.

They've really spruced up the park by the rec center since we last visited.

Our family's certainly grown since St. George was our home.

Happy siblings.

The runners all felt so great that we were able to grab some tasty Peruvian food for lunch.

Christy and Ben's journey to St. George was nearly as traumatic as Jason's.  Their car got totaled near Kanab in an accident involving a different car, a cow, and some very dark roads.  They think the other car hit the cow, which then came flying into their vehicle, leaving both cars and the cow disabled.  Fortunately all the people involved were okay.

Next stop, Pioneer Park.  This place makes my heart happy.

Annie and Ruby are pretty darn cute together.

Eli, you're cute too.


Brianna, our long-legged model.

I like these munchkins.

Brooklyn finds the most amazing places to toss her frisbee.

Back at our AirBnB in Hurricane.  It was the perfect place to unwind and even watch some General Conference.

We couldn't leave St. George without stopping by Zion National Park.

While we may not always see things the same way, words can't express how much I love this man.

Christy (now a Phoenix resident) was delighted to find the changing colors of fall.

Jason Wayne Wheeler, we are so grateful you are safe and well, despite the accident.  Congratulations on your race well run, and thank you for the love and leadership you show at home, work, and church.

Oh, and in case anyone wants to know, Jason had a follow up appointment with the orthopedic specialist this afternoon.  He is healing beautifully.  A little physical therapy, and he should be good to go.  We are, however, lucky.  I slyly asked about running at our first appointment (a couple days post-marathon.)  The doctor said absolutely not, way too much jostling.  The bones were currently aligned, but would need surgery if they got shifted.  After that report, Jason dutifully started wearing his sling and has behaved ever since.

I love you, Peanut Butter!  Thanks for loving me too.  --Jelly