In issue 02 of FREEDOM we reported on the horrific de-pinkying of Patri McLaughlin from getting it unfortunately tangled up in kite lines.
Destroyed Pinky No More
We spoke to Patri recently and got an update on how the little fella was healing up…
How’s the number 5 healing up mate?
My finger healed really well. I was only out of the water for exactly 4 weeks. Having the stitches removed was extremely painful, it may have been the most painful part of the whole ordeal. When the injury happened there wasn’t a whole lot of pain because the body goes into shock. When the surgeon removed the stitches though it yanked on the nerves, and made me want to cry. Actually I may have cried, but shhh that’s just between me and whoever is reading this.
We all shed a tear from time to time… Any permanent damage to the rest of your hand?
The nerves were obviously damaged so I still can’t feel anything with the tip of my pinky. Luckily you don’t do a whole lot of feeling around with your pinky any way. When it gets cold out my pinky turns white because the circulation isn’t so good either.
So you can tell when a tornado is heading your way?
Yes – and it flashes red on and off when the surfs up!
Still kiting well I see – no problems with your bar grip?
As far as kiting goes it doesn’t bother me at all any more. I can grab the bar like nothing ever happened.
On the bright side I don’t have to cut my pinky nail any more so I save like 3 seconds every time I cut my nails. That’s probably like 2 minutes in a life time, so I got an extra 2 minutes for other more important activities like trying to get barreled. On the down side I can’t give someone a hi five any more its more like a hi 4 and a half, but that’s OK. It could have been a lot worse. If I were to cut the tip of anything off I suppose my pinky is the best option.
Well we all give you a big high 4.5 from Aus mate hope it continues to heal well!
