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I died when I was 13. I was in an ATV accident that landed me with a fractured skull and brain injury that resulted in the miracle of a lifetime. When I woke up, I knew I had been given the gift of a second chance at life.
It was the summer of 2000 that we celebrated our freedom from the school year by riding four-wheelers on my friend's dairy. We were excited about being freshman in high school and feeling pretty mature by practicing our driving skills on the ATV in the field. I was slightly less mature in my driving than my friend and lost control of the vehicle. Before we knew it, I slammed my unprotected head into a pole and my friend broke her femur from the impact of sitting behind me. She waited on the ground and prayed for help (no cell phones) while I laid unconscious on the ground. We were found, my parents were called, the ambulance came and we were off to the hospital. My whole family met us there to find me bleeding and unrecognizable. The doctors lost me twice, revived me and sent me via care flight to a bigger hospital. With a crushed orbital bone, fractured skull and brain bleeds, the doctors knew I would need ICU if I were lucky enough to live. Upon landing and arrival, I was placed in Neuro ICU, my head was partially shaved, a hole was drilled in my skull, and they attached an ICP monitor to my brain to watch for brain activity and to watch the swelling. Tubes were attached everywhere possible and CT’s were done. The doctors were not optimistic about my future.
My parents knew their only option to keep me alive was to pray. They began the prayer chain in the church and asked for targeted prayers over my brain and skull. Their first answered prayer was for the swelling to go down in my brain to avoid surgery. When God did this, their faith increased and they began asking for more prayer. My dad's friend in England was notified of the accident and in his
prayer time about me he heard a word from God. He knew that God wanted to heal me, so he asked my dad to repeat a specific prayer over my brain. I woke up from my medically induced coma immediately. My dad was astonished! He was desperate for healing but never imagined it actually happening.
After getting the nurses attention, they checked on the machines and calmed me back to sleep. The medication was reduced and they let me wake up naturally so they could check on my progress and run more tests. To their knowledge, there was no reason for me to be waking up. It was unheard of and medically impossible.
I was quickly moved to a regular room where I was allowed to move around and visit with other people. After more scans were done, the doctors concluded that while there were signs of head trauma, the miracle healing was unmistakable. Even though I was living with recent head trauma, the doctors had no reason to keep me any longer in the hospital and sent me home with a prescription for rehabilitation 3 days a week for the next couple months. After the completion of my rehab, I was released to attend school with light physical activity. The healing road ahead was challenging but the the outcome was worth the pain. The thing about growth is that the process can be extremely difficult. We often can't see what God is doing in us until it's over, so having faith in the journey and hope in His goodness is the only thing that gets us through. God used the wreck to transform my mind, strengthen my heart, and give me hope for His plan. Because of my experience, I know God uses traumatic instances to make us stronger and better. God is so good and continues to amaze me every day! I am blessed to be here and thankful for His love.
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