John Colban

In February of 2025, I took my son to a UMass lacrosse game in Amherst during Winter Break.

It had been one of those Februarys in New England that you hear about in a Noah Kahan song. Gray, cold, and ice everywhere. I’m talking, a persistent 2″ of ice on everything that wasn’t a major road. We were walking back to the car during halftime so that I could cover a call for a co-worker. I was probably rushing, my over-the-ankle snow boots weren’t tied tightly, and in an instant, I was on my back.

Life comes at you fast. At 40, I was the old guy on his back in a college parking lot, and I knew right away my ankle was broken.

I heard it as I went down. Here’s what went through my head, in this order:

1. My wife is going to kill me
2. Holy shit, this hurts so fucking bad
3. My son is the only person with me. What am I going to do? (he was 9)
4. I’m supposed to be on a customer call in 5 minutes
5. My wife is going to kill me

My son was looking at me, asking if I was okay, and I could tell he was scared. Fortunately, a few college kids came over to check on me and see if I was okay. I tried to get up and felt my ankle stay on the ground, not following my leg up, which confirmed the break. Adrenaline kicked in and helped to calm my mind down so I could think this through.

Here’s what I knew and had to figure out:

1. It’s my right ankle, which means I can’t drive
2. I have to get to a hospital
3. I have to get my son home (actually to the Airbnb we were staying at)
4. I’m supposed to be on a work call in 3 minutes

The UMass students who were helping me called campus security, and, to be honest, they weren’t much help. However, the students were amazing. After some discussion with them, a senior named Jake offered to take me to the nearest hospital, Cooley Dickinson. We also talked about my son, and we decided we could bring him home to my wife first, and then take me to the ER. So somehow (I actually don’t remember), I got loaded into Jake’s vehicle, got my son in the back, and we were on our way. I called my team lead first, told him I think I just broke my ankle, and asked if he could cover the call starting then. I then called my wife and filled her in on the situation.

We dropped my son off with my wife and drove to the hospital. I can’t tell you how wonderful Jake was. We chatted about movies, college, growing up in Massachusetts, etc. When we got to the ER, Jake helped me get inside, got me to a wheelchair, and stayed with me until I was checked in.

I have to stop here and give kudos to the University of Massachusetts. Gen Z kids get a bad rap, probably deserved, but these students who helped me were all incredibly thoughtful, gracious, and kind. If I didn’t have Jake, this whole experience would have been even more of a disaster. Such a wonderful young man.

I’ll be honest, I don’t remember much about the ER triage process, other than the kindness of the nurses. Shortly after intake and x-rays, the ER diagnosis was “a right fibular fracture with lateral displacement of the ankle mortise,” which is a very clinical way of saying my ankle was broken, out of place, and absolutely not something that some rest, elevation, and ice would take care of. I would need surgery, physical therapy, and a lot of time…

While at the ER, they reset my ankle (yes, that’s as painful as it sounds), put me in a soft cast, gave me some crutches, and sent me on my way. As I mentioned, this was my right ankle (driving foot), and I need to figure out how to get the car and myself home. I took an Uber back to campus to pick up my car, then used Subaru’s Adaptive Cruise Control, breaking with my left foot, to get the car and me home. Would not recommend. Was not safe.