Once a month, a group of 4 or 5 old dudes, including me, meet for lunch, toast each other for making it through another month, ask the Lord’s blessing for our meal; and discuss a project assigned by the ” geezer” in charge of that lunch meeting. We assign a discussion to keep us from talking about our surgeries. For our upcoming May 30 lunch, I’ve been assigned a good one.  Share two examples of surprise gifts I received, material or non material, that had a significant impact on me. I’ve got a couple in mind.

We call it our monthly “Geezer” lunch.

Unfortunately, but naturally, we’ve had some turnover, as we have lost a few of the original geezers. But Wayne, our informal leader, has continuously found great replacements. So we remain a quintet; at least for now.

About a year ago, we had a lunch meeting in North Charleston I won’t forget. After the meal and discussion, I headed to the front room to pick up a take home order for Marjorie. The others went straight to their cars. After picking up my take out order, I needed to cross over another room and leave by a different door to the parking area. Despite all the caution signs warning about the steps, I missed one.

I face-planted on the pavement.  Uh oh.

When anyone, especially a geezer, hits his head, just above the eye, on a hard, rough pavement, it bleeds like a sonofabitch. I immediately attracted a large crowd. Luckily for me, one of those bystanders was a paramedic backing out of his space to go home. He pulled back in. Came over and administered to my bloody forehead.
Using paper towels and napkins, he slowed the bleeding a bunch and left just as the paramedics arrived, and before I could really thank him.

The paramedics quickly stopped the bleeding, but I had a pretty large laceration above my eye which required medical attention. Also any fall at my age is perilous, especially when you hit your head. I understood that too well.  Marjorie fractured the C-2 vertebra on a similar fall at our home a few years earlier.
They asked which hospital I wanted them to take me to. I answered Roper downtown, expecting pushback since I was in North Charleston. Happily, they agreed. When they offered to call my wife. I almost yelled, “No!” I sure didn’t want to worry her until I knew more about my situation
The short ride to Roper in the ambulance was one of the scariest, lonely moments of my life. I knew I needed stitches at least. I had a big ass gash in my head. The radio call to the hospital was even more scary. They were actually talkin about me. “We have an 85 year old. male about 6 feet tall, 240 lbs, with large laceration in forehead. Bleeding controlled, but needs attention quickly. Estimating hospital in ten minutes.”

Shit, that’s me !!

The ER Doc was outstanding. He was calm, reassuring and, lucky for me, had a great sense if humor. He told me he usually worked in the OR and stitched up folks after surgery. The incisions for surgery are very neat and straight, easy to stitch. Me, not so much. “When someone face plants, the laceration is not neat. It’s large, jagged and messy. Stitching it up requires a bunch of creativity.” In spite of my fear and some pain, I found that amusing.
He put nine (9) stitches just above my right eyebrow and I could dare anyone to try to find the scar. It’s well hidden. He did a great job. I was lucky that X-rays didn’t show any other damage. I was very lucky, but not as lucky as someone who didn’t face plant. LOL

My fellow geezers didn’t see me fall, but heard the ruckus and learned about it. They came to me and took my car key and brought my car home.
A pastor I know saw me at the restaurant. Heard about my fall; came to the hospital; waited for me and drove me home. I’ll never forget his kindness.
I fully explained my story to Marjorie, after the fact. I didn’t want her to worry needlessly, since I was not in serious danger. Just a big bump on the head and about a pint of blood spilled in a parking lot. Got lots more where that came from.
In all, The Lord, my friends, some strangers and a highly professional medical team, took excellent care of this old “geezer”. I’m still here to write about it. Thank you Charleston County EMS and Roper St Francis Hospital (again). Enuf.