9 + 12 = Nasty Scar

Last night at Jake's football game he intercepted a pass and then was subsequently stepped on by the receiver. He stayed down and I didn't think he was hurt until he started crying. Now Jake (unlike many of his teammates) doesn't cry so I knew he must have really hurt himself. As I approached him I could see the wound just below his knee and I first thought it was a nice raspberry from the grass. As I got closer I could tell it was something much more gross. The other kid's cleat had ripped open his skin. Jake wanted me to simply put a Band-aid on it so he could continue to play. He didn't want to let his team down. He lost it when I told him that we would have to go and have stitches put in. That thought made him go NUTS. He hates shots. He hates stitches. Needless to say, 3 hours later the doctor fixed him up just fine. I have included both before and after pictures (not for the faint of heart). 9 stitches on the inside (we think because we lost count) and 12 on the outside. Jake is one tough kid.

On a side note, I talked to one of the other coaches this morning and he said after we left, the team huddled together and decided to dedicate the game to Jake. After each huddle break, they would shout "Jake". Final score? 58-0. Ouch!