Jesus Gonzalez noticed a tree in his yard needed trimming. Instead of hiring someone, he decided to do it himself. What started as a simple task, quickly turned catastrophic.
Standing 12 feet high on a ladder, the branch he was trimming gave way.
As he saw the branch falling, his first thought was the chainsaw was going to land on him. Thankfully, it didn’t. Instead, the huge tree limb came down on his right arm.
His family quickly called 911 and he was rushed to Harris Health Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital where the team rapidly stabilized his broken arm and elbow.
Gonzalez went into surgery to repair his elbow, then days later the surgery team added plates and screws to repair his arm.
“The nurses were attentive and I appreciated the doctors who would come by and check on me,” he says. “I even appreciated the chaplain coming by twice to pray with me.”
Gonzalez, who likes to run and workout, knew his recovery would be a long one. This right-hander quickly had to learn how to do everything with his left hand while his broken arm healed.
Thanks to physical therapy, he has regained almost all range of motion in his arm.
He has also promised his family he won’t be cutting any more trees.