Will Shetterly just sent this out, and I'm posting it with his permission...
>Excuse the mass mailing, but it seems the easiest way to deal with this:
>
>Emma is in excellent spirits, so don't worry too much about
>her--just a little bit. Here's the story as I know it:
>
>She went up to Minneapolis to play in a CD-release party for the
>Flash Girls' new album on Saturday night. She and Lorraine planned
>to spend that day playing at the Renaissance Festival. But at a
>lunch show, as Emma was heading in with a number of other
>performers, she slipped on a wet spot on the stage.
>
>Being a pro, she got up and dashed offstage to keep from alarming
>the audience. That's where she realized things Were Not Good.
>
>The Ren Fest has cabriolet guys--essentially their version of
>rickshaw drivers--who took her to Medical Services crying, "Make way
>for the new owner of the Renaissance Festival!" which made her laugh
>despite her pain. She got hustled off to the local ER, where she got
>the diagnosis:
>
>The good news is that the break is clean. The bad news is that it is
>in her right elbow, where it will require surgery--otherwise, the
>tendon will pull at the bone and keep it from closing properly.
>She's going to get it taken care of up there; they're using
>insurance info from the Ren Fest and it looks like they'll cover the
>expenses, and, frankly, I feel better about her being taken care of
>in Minnesota's health care system than California's. (Those of you
>who know me well: insert a rant here about how much more sensible
>the health care systems of Canada, Japan, and most of western Europe
>are when compared with the US's.)
>
>She's an outpatient and getting excellent care from her many
>friends; if this had to happen someplace away from home, I'm glad it
>happened near Minneapolis. She says the drugs have been swell. She
>sounds great on the phone. Lorraine, amazing personal assistant that
>she is, has been neglecting her boss for Emma's sake, and Betsy,
>nurse and force of nature that she is, has put Emma up at her house
>and is now hustling her through hospital and insurance regulations.
>
>The CD release party went on, not quite as scheduled. Emma stayed in
>bed, but many fine folk showed up, so the audience had a good time:
>Neil Gaiman introduced Lorraine, who told the crowd what they had
>planned to do. I'm not sure whether Lorraine played anything. It
>sounds like most of the music for the evening came from Lojo Russo,
>Adam Stemple, Robin Adnan Anders, and Scott Keever, a swell bunch of
>musicians. I think the thing that makes Em and me sorriest about the
>whole thing is that she didn't get to play AND we both missed what
>sounds like a great show.
>
>DreamHaven, the folks putting on the party, said they sold heaps of
>stuff, so they were as happy as they could be under the
>circumstances. Emma promised to sign things lefthanded with an "X";
>there are apparently stacks awaiting her when she gets into the
>store.
>
>The surgery is scheduled for Monday; they'll be putting in a plate.
>We're not sure how soon she'll be able to fly back, but I'm hoping
>to have her home before the end of the week.
>
>UPDATE: I just got a call; she may also have fractures in her left
>elbow and in one hand. She's going through yet another set of X-rays
>to give them more information. Her left arm is swollen, but it has
>most of its range of movement--except for a worrisome little bit
>that hurts, which is the reason for the next set of X-rays.
>
>Emma hasn't checked her email since she left for Minnesota, and now
>it'll probably be a while before she can. I'm not sure how big her
>email storage is, so I suggest holding off on sending her electronic
>get wells.
>
>Hoping no one has stories to top Emma's--
>
>Will
--
Emma Bull and Will Shetterly's site:
http://homepage.mac.com/emmawill/