Get Well Gage! 5-year-old Lawler recovering from fractured skull after freak accident

The Danny and Tracie Lawler family is extremely grateful for the support and prayers of friends and family members after their little boy 5-year-old Gage Lawler suffered a depression fracture to his skull and a small bleed in a freak accident this Saturday, November 4 at their home outside Devine.
Boys will be boys–“Gage is a rambunctious little boy, and he’s had plenty of bumps in his life,” said mom Tracie Lawler, so when the doctors at Methodist Hospital ER came out and said he had a fracture to his skull they were shocked. Stories like this, remind us all as mothers, that you just can’t ever be too careful. Thankfully, Lawler recognized mild signs of a concussion that are so easy to overlook.
Thankfully, surgeons were successful in surgery this weekend, and expect Gage to recover well.
“The neurosurgeon said everything looks good, and doesn’t expect any issues going forward,” Tracie said.
“Gage had a great day beginning with the Fall Festival Parade with family and friends. Later that day he was playing in the backyard with his cousin, sister and friend when the accident happened. He has a child-sized golf club set that they were playing with when he got hit in the head accidentally.”
“It did bleed some, but it really didn’t swell a lot. I was going back and forth about whether we should go to Urgent Care or really go to the ER, with the wait time and all the illnesses you are likely to pick up in an ER. He did eventually say he felt a little nauseous and then he started to yawn, so that’s when I started to worry about a concussion. Those two things were what really made me decide to take him in. When we found out he actually had a fracture and a small bleed, I thought–What if I hadn’t brought him in?–That’s a question that’s gone through my mind many times.”
“He was acting like his normal, comical self the whole time, arguing with me about wanting to go to the doctor at all. All I remember him saying was ‘Mom I have a dent in my head.’ The injury caused a depression fracture, and he could feel that little indentation hidden underneath his hair. It turns out it was just like he described, just like a dent.”
The golf club hit right above the temple on the side of his head. It did cause small “pinpoint” bleeding inside that doctors monitored closely. The surgeon was able to lift the fractured bone back to its original position without a plate or screws, Lawler said.
“Methodist Children’s Hospital was amazing. We are so thankful for all of the staff, nurses, and our friends and family who were there for us,” Lawler said. “At Methodist they had a Child Life Specialist who came and talked to Gage about the procedures they were going to do. She talked to him on his level, and made him feel a lot more comfortable. They brought him toys and all kinds of things, and it really helped him feel more comfortable. They are amazing.”
Gage also lost his first tooth, and got a special visit from the tooth fairy, and the Child Life Specialist even brought him a special bag for his tooth.
“He had a loose tooth so they asked if they could remove it before the surgery, so the tooth fairy even came to visit him,” Lawler said.
“Gage is back to his normal little comical self.” Tracie said. “Now we just have to figure out how to get Gage to sit still and take it easy while he recovers!”
Gage will probably be out for 3-4 weeks, with restrictions on activities after he is able to return to school.¬
If you would like to send Gage your well-wishes, you can drop it off at Harrison Supply in Devine–maybe a note, board game, or a movie. Like his mom says “he has way too many toys already,” but we at The Devine News are sure Gage will appreciate anything to keep him entertained during the recovery process. He’d also love to hear from his classmates. “His kindergarten class did send him a get-well video that he really enjoyed,” Tracie adds.
If you wanted to send a Get Well Card or gift by mail, you can mail it to Gage Lawler 1697 County Road 761 Devine, TX 78016.