Got the story
Nick poses for a photo on his final expedition to the Arctic in 2012, 75 miles north of Gjoa Haven. (Courtesy: Nick Huard)
Story told by Nick Huard
If you’ve never had a fracture, you have no idea what I’m talking about when I describe the pins and needles while I’m recuperating. It’s excruciating pain.
Pain is a very important thing. It’s there to tell you there’s something wrong. Pain tells you how far you can go, when you reach your limit, whether it’s physical or emotional. You can’t ignore pain, but I’ve found a way of putting it aside, because there’s something more important happening right now. You take care of that after.
In Nicaragua, when I jumped out of a helicopter that was 20 feet short of rope, we hit the ground, the Sandinista were shooting at us. It wasn’t the time to say, “I hurt myself.”
They’re there for a reason: to kill you. Saving your own life is more important right now than having a sore ankle, ten fractures, busted ribs, collarbone. We ran and got the story.
Pain killers are absolutely useless because you don’t know when to stop. You’re just hurting yourself and you don’t know it. So, it takes longer for you to heal.
I carry morphine with me just in case I dislocate my hip, because I know it’s gonna hurt.
I had 7 operations, 6 dislocations. I have no femur in my right leg.
I know pain. From bullet holes, to busted legs, and this I’ll say, because I am proud. My last trip in the Arctic in 2012, I re-broke my leg on the first outing we did. I didn’t say a word. I finished the film shoot, 5 weeks-long.
I worked on the leg, and came back with a story. It was important for me to come back with the story.
Wakkaraientà:’on
An X-ray image shows the injury that Nick sustained to his leg while on his first outing during his expedition to the Arctic. Due to the lack of medical treatment facilities in the area, Nick suffered with a broken leg for the duration of the trip, only receiving medical attention a year and a half after returning home from his travels. (Courtesy: Nick Huard)
Nick Huard roká:raton
Tóka’ iah nowén:ton káneka thé:nen teiotstien’takwará:son ka’k nón:we ne tseròn:ke. Iah thé:nen tesaterièn:tare’ nahò:ten’ wakhtharáhkwen nó:nen ake’nikonhraién:tahte’ tsi ohnión:wara’ kón:ne’ tsi nikarì:wes sewakatkwatakwenhátie’. Iakotokenhsehátie’ tó: niiononhwákte nen’ nè:’e.
Kwah í:ken tsi iorihowá:nen ne karonhiakénhsera’. Ensahró:ri’ tsi tiok nahò:ten’k iah tetkaié:ri. Karonhiakénhsera’ ensahró:ri tó: niió:re iénhse’, nó:nen enhsatato’ktáhkwen’, tóka’ tsi nonkwá:ti’ ne tsi nihsonhnhò:ten’ ne kwah aiesakaré:wahte’ . Iah thaón:ton’ ki’ kheh thahsátka’we’ ne karonhiakénhsera’, nek tsi nì:’i wa’katerien’tatshén:ri’ tsi ní:tsi é:ren akhá:wihte’. Ase’kénh tiok nahò:ten’ sénha iorihowá:nen niiawen’hátie’ ki’ kwah ó:nen’k. Ohna’kénhaton ne ensehsaterihwatsté:riste’.
Nicaragua nón:we, sha’tontaiakwani’tsónhkwahkwe’ ne teiokawè:tsheronte’ teká:tens 20 niwahsì:take tió:to’kte ne ahserí:ie’ , onhwentsà:ke ia’tiakwen’tsonhkó:ta’ne’ tánon’ ne Sandinista ionkhiiarontáthons. Iah teionáktote’ akì:ron’ , “onkkaré:wahte’.”
Ratinién:te’ tsi tho rón:ne’s: aiesáhsehte’. Sénha iorihowá:nen ki’ kwah ó:nen’k ahsatate’niá:kenhte’ tsi ní:ioht ne tóka’ sahsineko’tanòn:waks, tóka’ ni’ oié:ri ní:kon iohstien’takwará:son , tóka’ ni’ tesatena’ahtaneká:ron, tóka’ ni’ shnia’sà:ke teiotstien’tià:kon. Wa’akwatè:ko tánon’ wa’akwakwé:ni’ wa’akwaká:rarahste’.
Iah thé:nen tekarihwáhsta’ ne iakohsithà:tha’ aienékwake’ ase’kénh iah tesaterièn:tare’ kátke táhstahste’ . Nek ié:ken satatkarewáhtha’ tánon’ iah tesaterièn:tare. Ne ká:ti’ sénha enkarihwesónhake’ aonsahsatkwatá:ko’.
Morphine khá:wi á:re’ shí:ken tenkatenehskwa’rhahsonterá:ko’, asekénh wakaterièn:tare’ tsi enwakahkará:ren’.
7 nia’ká:ienhte’ wa’ontia’tà:rene’, 6 niiokwèn:rare ne tieròn:ke wa’tewahsonterakwanión:ko’. Iah tewakhstièn:tare’ ne skeweientehtáhkwen khahsà:ke.
Kerihwaienté:ri ne karonhiakénhsera’. Ionkwarontáthon tánon’ iokahrón:ton ne tia’tà:ke, tewakatshinaneká:ron tánon’ ne kí:ken enkì:ron’, ase’kénh wakera’sè:se. Ohna’kénhkha Othore’kehkó:wa sha’tkatstikáhwha’ 2012 shiiohserò:ten’, nene tontié:renhte’ ia’akwaiá:ken’ne’ tonsakatshínia’ke’. Iah othé:nen tewá:ken. Wà:khsa’ tsi kheia’tarahstánions, 5 niiahia’kserá:ke nikarì:wes.
Arenhátien tsi tonsakatshínia’ke’ sha’té:ioht tsi ontió’ten’ , tánon tontakkarénhawe’. Kwah í:ken tsi iorihowá:nen taontákhawe’ ne oká:ra’.
Translation by Katsenhaién:ton Lazare
Courtesy: Nick Huard