Habiba Tunau MD

An Avocado Accident and Emergency Room Visit!

Less than two weeks after leaving home and launching on his own, our son ended up in the emergency room. 

June 15th 2021.  It was about 1 a.m. and I was busy editing a video while wearing my headphones and charging my cell phone, so I didn’t hear the buzz from my text messages coming in. Kenton, my husband, comes darting out of the bedroom to tell me Khalid, aka son #1, just left the emergency room but is back in his apartment. What happened? Is he ok? I ran into the bedroom to pick up my cell phone. 

Let’s go back a little – just two weeks prior we drove from North Carolina to Maryland to help Khalid, now 21, move into his first apartment after graduating college in May.  We were sad to see him go but also very excited about his prospects. Starting a fellowship and living in his own rented apartment were all things that made him very happy.  

Actually, this wasn’t his first time living away from us, about 7 years ago he was accepted into NCSSM, North Carolina School of Science and Math, a two-year highly competitive magnet boarding school for grades 11-12. NCSSM changed the trajectory of his academic career and opened many opportunities for him. Tuition, room and board were free during the two years he attended. We are forever grateful to the instructors and staff at the North Carolina School of Science and Math.

I will say though, given the fact that he was only 15, as fairly protective parents we often felt conflicted and worried that he was too young to live away from home; however, we also knew it was the best opportunity he had for a better education given the limited opportunities available in the small town we lived. 

After NCSSM, Khalid went on to attend UNC-Chapel Hill and lived on campus except during his senior year due to the pandemic. In addition, he spent a summer in Maryland two years ago doing research. I guess he was fairly independent, renting a house with several other students and taking turns cooking meals. The point is he has lived away from home for several years on and off.

So what happened and how did he end up in the ER only two weeks into living on his own?

According to our son, he was “cutting an avocado and the knife slipped” and cut his index finger. He then did what any rational 21-year-old would do and called 911.

As a parent, I was relieved it wasn’t something worse but as a medical doctor, my first thought was: you called 911 for a finger cut?! I was amused. I wondered what his response was to the 911 operator when she asked “What is your emergency?” 

In his defence, after waiting for an hour for the bleeding to stop, he decided to call 911 despite applying compression. He said once the ambulance people arrived they agreed he needed to be seen by a doctor in the emergency room but asked if he wanted to drive himself there. Since he doesn’t have a car and is new to the area he requested they take him. On arrival at the emergency room, he was told he was lucky that he didn’t almost cut off his fingertip and that he would need sutures. It was apparently a bad enough cut that required 5 sutures to his finger, bandages and a week’s worth of topical antibiotics. He was also given several days off work – since his job requires the use of his hands and a follow-up appointment for suture removal a week later.  

After sending us a picture of his bandaged finger and reassuring us that he is OK, he sends us a text saying he will have to pay a copay but that “hopefully it will not be too much” and “it was pretty fun sitting in the back of an ambulance having a chat with the medics.” 

We thought, “Son, you have much to learn.”

• Ambulance rides are not supposed to be fun.
• Since he is still covered by our health insurance an ER visit means THREE separate bills: one for the ER doctor, one for the ER facility for the procedure and one for the ambulance. There may even be a fourth separate bill from radiology if he had an X-ray! 

Now don’t get me wrong, as parents his father and I were not upset and in fact happy that it was not something worse that took him to the ER but we needed him to understand that this incident came with some lessons to learn:

• No matter what you are doing BE PRESENT IN THE MOMENT! It is quite possible that while cutting the avocado he was distracted or thinking about his next project. He is quite the overachiever and often worries about the work ahead of him. We reminded him that this accident could have been far worse like crossing the road while not paying attention. God forbid! 
• Learning to use the right kitchen tools and knowing how to handle certain foods is very important. Maybe he cut himself because he didn’t know how to cut the avocado properly. Avocados can be very slippery if not handled well and you need the right knife and the right cutting board. 

As a mother who eats a ton of avocados and serves it to the family perhaps, I should have taught him to do it himself instead of doing it for him- I couldn’t help but feel partially responsible-but then again like many young people he wasn’t the most interested in spending time in the kitchen. Learning to cook and feed oneself is an important fundamental skill.

Thankfully, at the time that I am writing this, Khalid is doing better, is back to work and has had the sutures removed. 

Thank you for reading and for following our journey! God bless and feel free to share. 

Sincerely,

Habiba

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Related VIDEO you might like to watch : Celebrating our sons In person Graduation Ceremony from UNC Chapel Hill