How I broke my arm: 3 LI boys tell their story

Within a month, we all broke our dominant arms in different ways. Here’s how we learned to cope.

BROKEN BOY 1, CONNOR TOPPER When I broke my arm, it was hard at first, but I got used to it. I broke my arm by getting it caught in the monkey bars at school during recess. First thing, always listen to your doctor, no matter what! If your doctor says no writing, don’t write. Have someone write for you.

At home, don’t run around; it might sound boring if you love sports like me, but you will get used to it. To exercise, you can walk around the neighborhood. When you get the cast off, your doctor will say to keep doing what you are doing for a week, then you can play.

BROKEN BOY 2, DOMINIC ESTRADA One Friday I thought I was going to have a great day, but I did not know the events that were waiting for me. We went to gym, and we played a game where we stood in hula hoops. A “lifeguard” threw a ball and a player would bring the person to land, but the catch is that a pirate can block the ball that the lifeguard throws, so it is harder to get saved. In the middle of the game, the lifeguard threw the ball, and I tried to block it but I tripped and fell on my arm. When I stood up and looked at my arm, it was twisted back. My mom came right away and drove me to the hospital.

They had to reset my arm. The next day at school was stressful because everyone asked me about it. Everyone signed my cast but I also had to sit out of gym.

The doctor explained that I had to have a metal rod put in my left arm. When I was leaving, a lady said that I would be like Iron Man. At home it’s hard because I have to have a garbage bag over my arm when I take a shower. It’s also hard to sleep, and I wake up in the middle of the night. I can’t wait to get back to normal.

BROKEN BOY 3, THEODORE GENTILE I broke my arm twice within a few weeks. During parkour I fell off the uneven bars. My mom saw that my arm was purple and something was sticking out, so my dad took me to the hospital, then I ended up with a cast for two weeks. Not even a week after I got my cast off, I tripped on the rug during indoor recess and caught my fall with my dominant hand. During science it started to throb. The next thing I knew was that my mom was coming to pick me up. My arm was broken for a second time.

We all agree, it is no fun to break your arm, especially your dominant arm, so be careful!

Linda Vaianella’s fifth-grade class, Boyle Road Elementary School, Port Jefferson Station