THE HOSPITAL OF ACCIDENTS

A hospital blog.

Harold Lloyd in the 1923 movie “Safety Last!” A safety net was constructed on a roof about one floor below the action, though the scene was shot to look as though there was a sheer drop to the bustling streets far below.

Dear Readers,

Until now, I have been shielded from the costs of disability because of our wonderful and vital NHS. This will change when I get home due to the considerable costs of remodelling the house, and my need for round the clock care.

I ask, therefore, that if you enjoy The Kureishi Chronicles, believe in paying for good writing, and want to help with my recovery, consider becoming a paid subscriber.

Lets keep this show on the road.

The world was always a dangerous place. I guess it’s taken me a while to realise it. This ward of the hospital in north London is full of people who have had accidents. There are none, so far as I know, with degenerative diseases like MS. So there is a lot of talk about human misfortune; haphazard, calamitous, and near fatal mishaps. You would think being on this ward that everyone in the world was a moment or so from being, for instance, run over by a car, or struck by lightning, which happened to a friend of a friend of mine, a man who was killed just as he was about to get married.

In fact, another friend of mine fell over recently walking across the room. She not only sprained her ankle, but injured her tendon, and was on her back, unable to walk for two and a half weeks.  Another friend came to visit me to discuss my injury. That night she went home to Paris to prepare for a theatre show that was opening on the following Monday. That night, she fetched a chair and stood on it, in order to water some plants she had hanging from the ceiling. It almost goes without saying that she tumbled from the chair and, when falling, extended her arm to protect herself. The arm snapped, and she had to carry her injured limb to hospital, where she lay on a gurney for eight hours before she was operated on. Her show was cancelled. Another friend of mine, who has also visited me in hospital, stepped out into the path of a cyclist who then crashed into her. The cyclist was severely injured and is now taking legal action against my friend. These are only recent occurrences. There will no doubt be more.