Jonathan Oldfield broke his right arm seven times on seven separate occasions, starting at age eight in 2002. The breaks occurred from falls off a bike, trampoline, swing, and bed, as well as a vigorous hopscotch game and a football incident in Paris in 2007. One break was even a deliberate re-break by surgeons to correct a previous operation. By the final break, his wrist was displaced six inches from its normal position.
A Childhood of Repeated Injuries
Growing up across South America, Asia, and Europe, Oldfield experienced diverse cultures but also encountered varying levels of orthopaedic care. He recalls the novelty of having friends decorate his cast with the iconic 00s graffiti 'S' and the relief of missing the bleep test at school, but the novelty quickly wore off. He learned to shower with a plastic bag over his cast and once lost a chopstick under the cast while trying to scratch an itch.
The Massage That Changed Everything
This year, on the first day of spring, Oldfield was receiving a massage when the masseuse said, 'I think your arm is haunted.' She explained that in some cultures, repeated injury to the same body part could be interpreted as ancestors trying to teach a lesson. She offered the phone number of someone who could exorcise the arm.
Instead, Oldfield called his parents. His mother revealed that his great-great-grandfather lost his right arm in the First World War. In a rehabilitation camp, he learned woodwork and weaving and made a stool that Oldfield sat on as a boy. When asked what the ancestor might be trying to say, his father joked, 'I think he’s telling you to collect all your stuff from our shed.'
Reflecting on the Past
Oldfield initially told the story with a smirk, but alone, he reflected more seriously. He realized he might be haunted not by a soldier, but by the raw experience of repeatedly breaking a bone during childhood. Each time the cast was removed, he ignored the lingering ache and dove back into activities like biking, trampolining, and annoying his brothers. He learned squash, drums, and even the diabolo.
Now, whenever he is sick or stressed, his arm hurts first. When he had Covid, he Googled whether right arm pain was a symptom. On a recent holiday, leaning over the edge of the Eiffel Tower, his arm felt fear before his brain did. He sometimes finds himself cradling his arm as if it were in a sling.
Learning to Listen
Oldfield believes that ignoring what his body has been through may have caused greater pain in the long run. Thinking of himself as 'unlucky' was a convenient way to avoid admitting that, around break number four, he stopped trusting his body. Since the massage, he has become more interested in listening to what his body remembers rather than ignoring what his mind wants to forget. When he feels run down or the ache starts, he treats it as a sign to slow down. He has not yet called the arm exorcist.
Jonathan Oldfield's show 'Exquisite Corpse' is at the Edinburgh festival fringe from 5–30 August.
