a January day - one perspective

I started this post a while ago, but didn't have the chance to finish it - so here it is in all its fragmented "beauty". 

. . . . . 

As I write this, I sit in a hospital room.  It's a gray, drizzly day - the last day of January. 

My January of 2018 certainly didn't go as expected.  I guess what I expected was just the ordinary, usual tasks of home-keeping and homeschooling.  

January 8, 2018 (1. 8. 18)  Hannah was in a near fatal car wreck.  

She had taken Eric's truck that morning for a college class and was on her way home.

As I understand it, there were several cars in front of her. One of those cars veered over the center divider into on-coming traffic.  The on-coming traffic was the logging truck.  He swerved to miss her, she over-corrected and swerved back flipping her car into the ditch.  Three cars in front of Hannah swerved to miss the first car and the logging truck, but a couple of them hit the second trailer loaded with logs.  The second trailer lost its load.  Hannah had no way to avoid all the logs that slammed into her.  

She was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, the state's best trauma hospital, arriving in critical condition.  

Eric arrived at the hospital first.  The doctors told him of Hannah's long list of injuries.

When I arrived, Eric held me tight and told me the news.

2 fractured ribs

a pierced lung

lacerated liver

broken vertabra

shattered cheek bones

broken nose

deep facial lacerations

a brain bleed from the caroted artery

massive swelling of the brain

shock. terror. fear. doubt. denial. confusion. sadness. grief.  All at once.  

It was overwhelming.  I sat in a chair crying while a team of surgeons worked over her stitching up all the facial lacerations that were bleeding.  She was swollen, intubated, heavily sedated, and unrecognizable! 

A nurse gave me a bag that contained her clothes she had worn that day, but I realized that her shoes were missing.  She had worn her beloved Dr. Marten's.  I asked the nurse about her shoes, but she knew nothing about them.  

After several hours of surgery, MRI, CT scans, and X-rays, they moved her up to ICU.

News traveled fast that our girl had been in a serious wreck. Several friends and our pastor and his wife came to the hospital.  Caleb drove up from Portland, Matthew left work early.  Sarah wanted so badly to come. Friends prayed, and they told friends who prayed, and it went on like that.  People all over the world were praying for our Hannah!  We received sweet texts from friends letting us know they were praying - with encouraging Scripture.

Eric and I spent the night on the floor in the waiting room.  My eyes hurt so badly from crying.  We maybe slept an hour.  Early in the morning when we went into her room we saw a clear plastic bag next to her bed with her shoes inside!  Apparently the helicopter crew heard we were asking about her shoes and they delivered them personally.  I know that shoes are just "stuff", but because they were Hannah's absolute favorite, it was important to me.  I was so thankful they had been recovered, because I knew Hannah would be so happy.  Strange, I know, but somehow it gave me hope that everything would be OK.

They had artwork on the walls that I knew Hannah would admire so I took photos for her. 😊

After a couple of days in the ICU they moved her to ACU (acute care unit).  Moving her meant she had improved, but the only improvement that Eric and I could see was that she was off the ventilater.
We sat by her bedside 24-7.  The early days she was not awake and yet even in her sleep she tried to pull out the NG tube.  Eric and I watched over her, taking turns getting a couple of hours of sleep.  In the wee hours of the night, when left to my thoughts of what-if, I cried and I cried out to God.  Could I be ok if Hannah never got any better?  Could I trust God with His plan?

Isaish 58:8-9
"For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways, "declares the Lord.
"For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways
And My thoughts than your thoughts."

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding,
In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.

He has NEVER failed me - and so I chose to trust.  Trust that the impossible is not impossible.

And people were so kind.  They visited the hospital. They sent flowers.  They brought bags of every kind of healthy snack.  They gave cash for food and whatever else we might need.  They sent encouraging texts, some even came to stay the night to be with Hannah so Eric and I could sleep, and they prayed.  

Even Instagram friends sent flowers!

During the day there were so many doctors and nurses (at times it seemed like a parade!) that would come and check on Hannah.  It was exhausting to try to take in all the information.  The nights were long - we were weary and often Hannah would be restless.  There were many nights where we just held her hand.  Honestly, I think it brought us all comfort. 

Caleb had gone back to Portland and returned the following weekend.  In just one week's time - Caleb could witness a HUGE improvement, which encouraged all of us especially when the doctors kept telling us "with a brain injury of this degree..." "but she is young, and healthy..."  "it will take time..."

Sometimes those were hard words to hear.

And yet right before our eyes she was improving and getting stronger.

NOT because of the diet they offered her.  (If you know me - then you know I was cringing and just a bit peeved!)

Once she was strong enough, our goal each day was to walk with her to this area called the Sky Bridge, where we could sit and look out the window.  This particular day it was clear and you could see Mt. Rainier. (Definitely a beautiful sight and change from the gray, stormy weather.)

19 days at Harborview and then she was transferred by ambulance to Providence Medical Center in Everett for in-patient therapy.  Our transfer happened on a Saturday,  which we were thankful for because we figured it wouldn't be as busy, but we met our doctor and the therapists.  His top priority was to get the NG tube removed.  Yay!  All the therapists felt the same way.   Sure enough, by Monday they took it out and Hannah was so happy.  Her sore throat went away and she had an appetite for the food that we provided.  (Well, not us - a dear friend who cooked all the special allergy free food she could have!)

She asked for coffee...and we happily obliged.

Daily therapy for three hours definitely helped.  Only 6 days and she had improved so much from a physical stand point, that it was no longer necessary for her to stay in the hospital.  Out-patient therapy would be the next step, which meant we could all go H.O.M.E.

Friday, February 2, we left the hospital for home.   Unbelievable!

There is so much more to this story, the "back story" of sorts, but I write it in another post.

Also... just hug your people extra today... just because you can.


 ~ Carol