Boston Stitches

Our nephews, Cody and Barry came to Illinois for a visit in 1999 from Hawaii. Art and I decided to take them for a whirlwind trip to Indiana, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, Williamsburg in Virginia, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, N.Y., Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Washington D.C., Boston, Plymoth Plantation, Acadia National Park, Quebec and Toronto in Canada and the Niagara Falls.

The funny thing is, what I remember most is Boston. Why? Well, it was July 13th. I don't remember if it was Friday. We were on the Freedom Trail. This is Paul Revere's house.


Cody was running or skipping down the hill ahead of us and took a spill. I held my breath and took a look. Yikes!
His thigh had a cut on it that looked deep. Art carried him most of the way up the hill and then went to search for the nearest place to get first aid. Barry and I locked hands and carried him together. Not easy. Cody is over six feet tall now, and he was not light then either. He might look like he wasn't that heavy, but I could swear he was at least 200 pounds.

We stopped at a drug store and the woman there came out to us and brought hydrogen peroxide and bandages. She poured it on the cut and directed us to a clinic thankfully close by.

The nurse at the clinic said they did not do surgery but we could take the next free shuttle to the hospital. We couldn't believe how efficient they were!


The shuttle took us to the emergency room and the doctors worked on Cody right away. Cody kept a stiff upper lip and his brother considered this just another adventure to tell their mom and dad about.

Then came the problem. The doctor said to bring Cody back in a few days to have the stitches removed. I told her we couldn't because we'd be in Canada by then.

"No problem," she assured me. "Do you sew?"

"Yes," I said. I didn't like where this was going.

She took out a kit with scissors, tweezers, etc. and showed me how to remove the stitches. She then had me practice on paper to make sure I got it right.

We continued on our trip with Cody barely paying attention to his wound. We had a great time! We got to see Acadia National Park, Quebec, Toronto and finish our trip with Niagara Falls.

When we got home, I took out the kit and told Cody it was time to remove the stitches. He didn't exactly look confident. I told him, "Don't worry. I know how to sew."

When I lifted and cut the first stitch slowly, he grimaced. My stomach did a somersault. I learned that it was better to do it quickly, but by then I was sweating and my hands were shaking.

Needless to say, Cody survived and this is what I remember most.

And by the way, if you need to have an accident, it's best to do it in Boston. They sure do have great medical services there.