As a parent, there is nothing more harrowing than your child's wails of extreme pain. Cassidee Timm has experienced this horror not once, not twice, but three times.
"It's a certain cry," Cassidee explained. "They just cry differently. That's when you know something really bad happened."
The first time
Cassidee and her husband Justin, parents to 4-year-old Milo and 2-year-old Maggie, are no strangers to reacting quickly. In the past year, their two children have had three arm-related injuries from incidents like falling out of bed and playground accidents.
Little Milo was just 3 years old in November of 2018 when he fell out of his bed one night and landed on his right arm.
"He was screaming and crying and his little face went white," said Cassidee. The morning after one trip to the emergency department and a splinted arm, she called Dr. Brian Klika, orthopedic surgeon at Aurora BayCare Orthopedics & Sports Medicine Center in Green Bay, Wis., and also sees patients at Aurora Health Center in Kaukauna, Wis. Locally-speaking, Dr. Klika is familiar with the area, as he grew up just miles away in Wrightstown, Wis.
"I was very scared, and my husband was, too. But I called Dr. Klika's office, and his nurse was able to get me scheduled in about 5 minutes," explained Cassidee. "Each time we've needed to get in, Dr. Klika was able to see us pretty much right away. Dr. Klika and his staff are always so patient and so kind, with both me and my kids. He has great bedside manner and took his time with us."
Milo's playground mishap
The next time Dr. Klika would see Milo would be at the end of August just this past summer after colliding with another child on the playground.
"This one was harder for me," reflected Cassidee. "Milo was acting completely normal. We kept a close eye on him, and he'd cradle his left arm sometimes, but other than that, he was doing all the things he did before – running around, swimming, just living life and being a hyper kid."
But at bath time one night about 6 days after the incident, while washing his arms, Milo winced and pulled his arm away.
"That's when I knew," said Cassidee. "And we took him in right then."
A common injury
Maggie's first accident happened early November and was similar to Milo's first – she fell out of bed one evening and landed on her right arm.
"It happened right after naptime at about 3 p.m., so I gave her some time to calm down a bit. At about quarter to 4, I called Dr. Klika's office," explained Cassidee. "They were able to get me in by 4:30."
"It is fairly common to see these types of injuries in children," explains Dr. Klika. "Most often, these are activity-related. We frequently see trampoline and playground-related injuries, as well as household-related falls (beds, stairs) considering the falling risk they pose. We recommend parents pursue evaluation following any concerning injuries, as it is often difficult for children to communicate their symptoms."
An optimistic outlook
This holiday season, Cassidee surely has a lot to be thankful for.
"I'm thankful that our whole family is healthy. If breaking bones is the worst thing that ever happens to us, I'll be happy."
And though she is thankful for Dr. Klika...
"I like Dr. Klika. He treats us like family and not strangers. I just don't want to have to see him anymore," she laughed. "I'd like to see him in the grocery store or something instead of the clinic."