Unlucky break

Press, 11 January 1986, Page 1

Unlucky break

The Christmas holidays have been painful for Tony King (above), who three weeks ago broke his leg for the third time in two years. Tony, aged 11, of Christchurch, is in ward 22 at Christchurch Hospital with his leg in traction after falling off a trampoline while holidaying with friends at Spencer Park. . The photograph he is holding is of himself in hospital at the age of nine, after breaking his left leg for the first time. He and his family were living in Portland, Victoria. Tony’s leg broke after he was accidentally knocked over. The second calamity occurred just as Tony was recovering from the first. He turned a corner too sharply on his bicycle and fell off, fracturing his right leg in two places. After moving to New Zealand 15 months ago, Tony’s

parents hoped his luck might improve. * r We are getting a bit tired of it all, but there’s not much you can do about it, except keep on telling him to be careful,” said his mother, Mrs Denise King. “It sounds awful, but at least when he broke his leg the second time it evened up the limp from the first break,” she said.

After- Mr and Mrs King shifted to New Zealand, Tony’s doctor advised them not to allow him to play contact sports as his leg was still weak.

“And what does he Want to do? Play hockey,” said Mrs King. “We let him play, but thought for sure that he

would end up with another broken leg.”

Ironically, Tony survived the hockey season without so much as a hairline fracture.

His latest break has been the most troublesome for Mr and Mrs King. They are worried that he may end Up with a permanent limp.

This time he will have to have his leg encased in plaster up to his thigh. He might be in hospital for another two weeks. Mrs King said that the doctors and hospital service had been marvellous.

Broken legs seem to run in the family. Mrs King’s husband, Terry, had to spend a long while in hospital when he was about 17, after a broken leg was wrongly set. , Mrs King said her niece also was recovering from a broken leg. The Kings are hoping for a fracture-free new year.