BROOKSVILLE - County Commission Chairwoman Betty Whitehouse is recovering at Brooksville Regional Hospital from surgery performed Monday to set a broken leg.
Whitehouse, 64, slipped on a rug in a bathroom at her Peppermill Drive home in the predawn hours Sunday, breaking the femur in her right leg just above the knee.
"I heard it go snap, crackle, pop," Whitehouse said from her hospital bed Monday. "I knew something broke, and I knew I couldn't move."
Whitehouse's two daughters, Theresa Vore and Patti Billings, were visiting with their families for the holidays and came to their mother's aid, removing the bathroom door from its hinges so paramedics could have easy access.
The chairwoman had nothing but praise for the performance of arriving emergency personnel, who, Whitehouse said, cranked up the heat in the ambulance on what was a very cold night to make sure she would be toasty.
"Our paramedics were wonderful," Whitehouse said. "They just took wonderful care of me."
The surgery Whitehouse underwent involved putting a metal rod into her leg to stabilize and secure the bone. A full recovery is expected, but Whitehouse said three to four months of rehabilitation will be needed.
Whitehouse likely will be using a walker or crutches for much of that time. County commissioners Nancy Robinson and Diane Rowden, Whitehouse said, have offered to help with transportation, as she will be unable to drive a car.
While the broken bone and surgery certainly will put a damper on her holiday celebrations, Whitehouse said there could be some positives.
"I may actually get my desk cleaned off," she said, "because I won't be able to jump up all the time to do things."
- Will Van Sant can be reached at 754-6127. Send e-mail to vansant@sptimes.com
