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Breaking a bone—or in Thomas Hjelmstad’s case, multiple bones—can be a terrifying and traumatic experience, especially for children. For nine-year-old Thomas, that fear became a reality when he broke two bones in his arm.
One of the joys of childhood is the freedom to run, play and discover activities you love. For Thomas, that passion was tennis—an activity he had to set aside while recovering from his injury.
As Thomas and his family began determining the plan to fix his broken arm, it was inevitable that surgery was on the horizon. For Thomas, that was a scary thought. “There were a lot of emotions. I was scared, I didn’t know what to do, and I was hoping the doctors could fix my arm,” said Thomas.
It wasn’t just Thomas who was dealing with a rollercoaster of emotions; his parents, Cassidy and Travis Hjelmstad, were also concerned for their son while pondering whether there was anything they could have done to help prevent the injury.
“Our initial reaction when we realized Thomas had two broken bones was fear. There was also guilt, of course. As parents, you wonder what we could have done? How can we help him? And then once we got a plan with Trinity Health and our doctor, we felt a lot of comfort knowing that Thomas was going to be taken care of,” said Cassidy.
Thomas’ plan was established once he began seeing Cody Pehrson, MD, orthopedic surgeon at Trinity Health. From the initial meeting to following through with the care plan, the Hjelmstad family and Dr. Pehrson developed an immediate bond, and their fears began to dwindle.
“The care at Trinity Health was great. Not only did they make us feel comfortable, but the biggest thing was also making our son feel comfortable. You have a nine-year-old kid who is nervous, scared and not sure what is going to happen with this broken arm,” said Cassidy.
She added, “But Dr. Pehrson met with us to tell us step by step what was going to happen and how he was going to fix Thomas’ arm. He even showed Thomas the rods that he was going to put in his arm, to give Thomas a sense of, ‘this is how I’m going to take care of you.’”
Dr. Pehrson is a father and understands the uneasiness of situations like these. Developing trust and connecting with patients and their families in these moments plays a crucial role in navigating the difficulties of the unknown, sometimes requiring getting creative to make them feel more comfortable.
“Children are oftentimes very concerned and confused. They don’t understand what’s going on,” said Dr. Pehrson. “So sometimes, by making light of serious situations while also conveying the seriousness of them, helps you develop a relationship of trust, which I think serves well up to the point of the patient being healed.”
The sharing of jokes meant a lot to Thomas, as it made him feel better about his broken arm and created an immediate connection with Dr. Pehrson. “Dr. Pehrson opened up to me a lot more than other doctors would. He made me feel better by telling me jokes and other funny stuff. I trusted him to fix my arm,” said Thomas.
It wasn’t just these moments with Dr. Pehrson that made a lasting impression on the Hjelmstad family, however. They were also pleased with the nursing staff that worked with Thomas, as well as the entire process, from X-rays to surgery to recovery.
“From the moment we arrived at Trinity Health to the months of follow-up visits, making sure Thomas’ arm was healing properly, the care was nothing short of excellent. Our doctors were phenomenal, the nursing staff was incredible and the X-ray technicians made Thomas feel so comfortable. That is all you could ever hope for as a parent,” said Cassidy.
After the first surgery, Thomas had a successful recovery that involved getting rods put in his arm to help the bones heal and align properly before eventually having those rods removed with a second surgical procedure. He also used this accident as a learning experience, where he gained an understanding of where he broke his bone, all of the bones in the arm and the different places those bones can break.
Finally, after a long journey and a successful recovery, Thomas reached the point where he could be a kid again. He was able to dive back into his passion for playing tennis, as well as other sports and spending time with his friends.
“I’m feeling pretty good,” said Thomas as he reflected on his path to where he is today. “When I came to Trinity Health the first time, I was a little scared of what the outlook would be. Now I’m just happy and grateful that my arm is healed.”
For Dr. Pehrson, hearing words like that and seeing a child bounce back from a difficult moment of not knowing what comes next, to gaining full functionality and getting their life back, are among the main reasons he began working in orthopedics.
“Getting people back to functioning life is the sole reason I chose orthopedics. Orthopedics is unique in that a person comes in with a broken bone. I fix the bone, and I get to see them fully functioning when I’m done. They are playing their sports, running, jumping, and returning to play pickleball or whatever their passion is. That’s the main reason I went into medicine in general, and that’s why I specialize in orthopedics and orthopedic trauma,” said Dr. Pehrson.
As Thomas enjoys life again as he once knew it, the Hjelmstad family has been on a rollercoaster of emotions to get to that point. Most importantly, they are excited to see their child happy and healthy again.
“We have incredible health care experts right here in Minot, North Dakota, who are serving our community every day. I couldn’t be more grateful to have care available minutes from our house, allowing us to get Thomas taken care of. You can’t replace that,” said Cassidy.
She added, “The fact that when you walk in, whether it’s the front desk and you’re greeted by someone with a smile on their face or going to check into various places throughout the hospital, no matter what you are here for, it’s often you’re going to run into someone you know because you live in the community. They work here. They live here. I love that our local Trinity Health system can provide this level of care for us.”
