Chinese Whispers

You often hear people joke about how most of the stuff you learn in school is not always actually useful in real  life. Quite often people are referring to Algebra or other things. Obviously Math and English are very useful, but do you know what else is? What I think is the most underrated thing you ‘learn’ in school? The game of Chinese Whispers. You know the one when you sit in a circle and someone whispers in to the ear of the kid next to them and they to the next person and so on til the last child gets to say out loud what they have been told?  Yeah that one.  And here is why.

Last week my mother tripped and fell. She broke her Femur. I was lucky enough not to be there when it happened, though I did drive past my parents place when the ambulance was there. Doors open and not a soul to be seen. It took me another 20m to realise that there was an ambulance at my parents house. An AMBULANCE! I slammed on the breaks and reversed back towards my parents. We live out of town and I didn’t have to worry about traffic. Though I did say to The Man Child who was sitting next to me. ‘I do hope no one comes up behind us because I ain’t stopping!’

I braced myself for some kind of dramatic sight involving my father (who is currently involved in extending the house) having fallen off the scaffolding. I was however shocked to find him standing. There was also two paramedics and my sister in the room and my mother lying on the floor! I was confused.

 Why are they doing a first aid training course? I thought to myself.

I soon realised that they were not and that my mothers thigh looked really, really horrible. I then just stood there rather awkwardly wanting to help but wanting to stay the hell out of every ones way. Mum was by this stage, thankfully, drugged up with pain killers and every now and then would ask what was happening and telling us she was ok. She was trying to comfort us and reassure us.

Since then there has been miscommunication after miscommunication involving her break. At first it was her hip then her femur , then she was in traction for weeks, then only for one week. All these updates I posted and messaged to friends and family. I was finding that something was getting lost in translation, somewhere. The chink in the chain was because mum was telling dad, who was telling one or the other of my siblings through conversation or message and it was getting passed or messaged on me.


Today mum had her operation. I was told she had received a donor bone and she could not walk for four months. I was a little confused because three days earlier I had been told they had to make a rod or plate (artificial bone) for her . But I was (not being a doctor) quite happy with the news none the less, mum had had her op, she was doing great. That was all I needed to hear. Later I was thinking about who the donor was and what a wonderful gift it was.

I am a donor and I thought I’d tweet ( I have only just started to dabble in the twitter sphere) about it, thank donors and their families and add a link to the national organ donor register here in Australia. Which I did. Later my brother informed me there was no donor bone ( thank you sibling!!) and it was indeed an artificial bone made to suit her leg ( totally makes sense doesn't it!) It had cost $40,000 dollars to make ( WOW ) and that was when I said to myself.

Bloody hell. This whole thing is like a game of Chinese whispers! Now I understand why we played it in the earlier grades ( year 1 maybe?) of school.

It was not just a fun game that enabled us to to get the chance to sit next to ( if we were lucky enough) the boy or girl we liked and whisper into their ear or have a laugh at how the ending statement was different or (if we were unlucky enough to be one of the last few kids) find it to be exactly the same as what you had said and therefore not really all that funny. No, it was a life lesson that you never fully appreciate, until you try to keep family and friends updated on your mothers state of health that is. And do you know what? If the story changes again, well, I won’t be updating it!!!


I ended up deleting my tweet as I felt like a twit. But you know what? If you have not already considered being an Organ Donor I do suggest you do. You can find out more here.

As for the game Chinese whispers find out how to play it here.
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