Sen. Janet Howell: “My Shattered Ankle Was A Blessing”

"Whoever thought a shattered ankle could be a good thing? But mine probably saved my life. Here is the story."

August 8, 2019

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I’d heard about this and emailed Sen. Janet Howell (D-SD32) get-well wishes. Glad to see her posting about what happened so everyone can hear her story, which basically could happen to anyone.

My Shattered Ankle Was A Blessing!

Whoever thought a shattered ankle could be a good thing? But mine probably saved my life. Here is the story:

On the last evening of our high peaks Adirondack vacation, I fell on rocks and obviously crushed my ankle. We were on an island so my husband Hunt and son Brian performed an amazing rescue. They carried me off the rocks, down 18 steps to the dock, into a boat, across the lake, unto another dock and into the car. We ended up at one of the rural hospitals we are trying so hard to preserve here in Virginia and across the country.

Orthopedists operated and gave a great prognosis -the only restriction was no weight on the ankle for eight weeks. Then all heck broke out.

Routine blood tests showed I had suffered a heart attack. It was a so-called “silent” attack. I had no symptoms: no pain, no shooting sensation, no crushing chest pain, nothing. Apparently this is fairly common in women.

A three hour ambulance ride took me to a modern, Catholic hospital in Albany. They performed a cardiac catheterization, which revealed extensive blockages. So I needed bypass surgery. I was close to Archie Bunker’s ‘Big One.”

The eight hour quadruple bypass was a total success. And nowhere near as scary as it used to be! While the ankle break probably saved my life, it also has kept me from walking. So I.will probably be a tad slower recovering than most.

Never was I so grateful for a shattered ankle!

I am out of commission for the next several weeks but my crackerjack staff is not! Chief of Staff Karol Straub and Aide Edyta Wiesner will continue to solve your problems with state government. Campaign manager Anika Rahman will make sure we have a winning effort. And I will just recover and prepare for the 2020 session!

Thanks for your understanding.

Best,

Janet Signature