Happy SEVEN years of life Josh!
Yes, my husband is more than 7 years old, but it has been seven wonderful years since God saved his life.
On June 26th, 2003 Josh and I went roller blading at a nearby park. The previous night we had been shopping at Dick's and found a great deal on some roller blades for him.
We were having fun and laughing about the tight butt I would have if I kept roller blading all Summer, LOL. We then came to this big hill that lead down to the lake. It was paved and people biked and walked it all of the time. Josh kinda looked at me like, should I?? I don't quite remember too much but I remember him looking back at me like, Here I go. And the not so funny thing is I was thinking about how fun it looked and almost followed. That's when I saw him collide with another person and fall. I kept looking down thinking get up already...that is when I heard someone yelling "call 911."
I panicked and starting freaking out, I whipped my roller blades off and threw them, I ran down he hill as fast as I could possibly run. When I got down there, I asked someone what he looked like, before going near him. She told me there was blood all over, coming from his head. I was balling and in hysterics, yelling about how that was my husband and who knows what else. I went to him and held his head and was talking to him in his ear, which is when I realized he was foaming at the mouth and unconscious, not answering me and probably not hearing me either. I was relaying info to the wonderful person who was on the phone with 911. I then realized that we had no health insurance and that I had a little girl at home, and started panicking even more and running around in hysterics. A bit of comic relief...I remember going over to a group of people and yelling and screaming "This is why you wear helmets, make sure you wear your helmest..." I was in hysterics and not thinking clearly because I never would have done this normally:)
All I know is that there was a group of people walking up the hill and supposedly didn't see Josh coming at them until it was too late. Josh ran into that person (as far as I know nothing happened to that person). It seemed like forever until the paramedics arrived. The driver was super nice, a christian as well, and let me use his cell phone after he said he didn't have one. I called my friend Ang and told her to meet me at the hospital now. What a friend to not ask questions but come anyway.
So anyway, we get to the hospital and they tell me to wait in a room, and a social worker will be there any minute...she never came and I was loosing it. I had no idea what was wrong with my husband, if he was living or what. I just started calling number that came to my head..one of which was a lady I babysat for..why I called her I had no idea, but she called the church for me, and that night so may church friends came to the hospital to be with me and pray. Ang and Ben stayed the night in the waiting room with me, as we still had no idea what was going on. He was in ICU and really late at night so they wouldn't let me in.
To make a long story kind of short, Josh ended up with 4 separate skull fractures and the only reason he lived is because his ear drum burst (the blood was coming out of his ear) to let the bleeding from his head drain. The skull fractures were pretty bad, and everyone kept telling us how amazing it was that he was alive and for the most part recovering perfectly.
Josh was in ICU intubated for about 4 days, when they took the intubation tube out is was still a few more days before he was coherent. Well, enough to insist that the TV was the telephone!!
My favorite memory is the day after they took the intubation out, a friend Patrick came by to see him, Josh had barely spoken 5 words since the removal (it is very painful, his trachea was very swollen), and Pat asked him what's my name Josh..it took him about 2 minutes but he muttered "num nuts" a name they called each other. From that point on I knew he would be ok!
I had taped pictures on his bed so he'd see Merci and I and remember us...I didn't know what kind of shape he'd be in when he woke up.
Josh had to spend another 3 week in brain rehab. They worked with him to get his brain functioning again and other functions, motor skill, physical therapy etc. He did great from the start, but there was a lot of memory gone and his brain wasn't functioning at the normal speed. It was still very hard for him to even think..it hurt..obviously. He hated every minute of being there. I only missed seeing him 1 day of his month long stay.
To this day I don't know how we paid our bills. I worked 1-2 days a week at Babies R Us, and that sure didn't cover it. God was so faithful in our time of need.
All of our hospital bill were paid by the County, we never saw one!
Josh was supposed to have been in occupational and physical therapy for 1 year following his accident, after his 1st appointment of each they said he didn't need to be there.
Today Josh has very minimal damage. He cannot smell... we aren't sure how this happened...and he lost sight in the bottom right quadrant of each eye (if you divide the eye in fourths).
I am so thankful to God and all who helped us in our time of need. I am ever grateful for the miracle of Josh's life (there we more accidents after this that could have easily taken him from me...but didn't), He will never know how much I love him and am grateful he is still here with me.
Originally posted June of 2007, rewritten June 2010
