Home Sweet Home

Bad Accident

We arrived home at about 5:00 pm on July 4th after a very long trip. Traffic was moving well until a sudden downpour hit, followed by bright sunshine. Haley was encased in pillows, thanks to the handiwork of Paige, and would occasionally moan in pain :(. At the 10 mile post of I-66, the traffic came to a complete stop. Emergency vehicles came racing by in the right shoulder, and I knew it was a bad accident. People started getting out of their cars and talking to each other (I'm sure some sociologist has studied this phenomenon along with the stuck-in-the-elevator phenomenon!!), and it appeared we were there for the long haul. One guy in an orange shirt, decided (I guess) he would be the scout, and took off toward the accident. We could see the flashing lights ahead, so it wasn't that far off. Both of the girls, Haley and Paige, were asleep. Cars started bushwhacking (can a car bushwhack?) across the median to head in the other direction. Presumably they knew the area and could find another route. I thought this was a dumb idea, and I was pretty sure it was illegal, plus, knowing me, I'd get stuck in the tall grass! Anyway, we stayed put. Larry was right behind me, so all was well. Mr. Orange-Shirt came walking back and the guy in the Acura next to us asked him what he found out. (Again, strange.) Orange-Shirt stated, "it was a semi and a mini-van and there was one fatality." Acura-dude thanked him and got back in his car, and Orange-Shirt kept on walking, I suppose to share the news with the rest of us. I kept thinking about that phrase "one fatality" and thought it was such an antiseptic way to speak of the end of a human life. I tried to imagine, since it was a mini-van, if it was a child who had died and if the parents were begging the emergency workers not to take him or her away as they tried to take in the unthinkable. Or perhaps it was a parent that was killed, maybe traveling alone with several kids, and the police were faced with contacting relatives of inconsolable, confused children. Whatever the situation, I knew that I would gladly wait for however long it took to get on with our trip. We were comfortable, the AC was working well, and we had Haley's pain meds with us. No one had urgent need for a bathroom, and for some reason, we weren't hungry, even though we hadn't had a proper meal all day, just coffee and snacks. I whispered several prayers for all concerned and was thankful that we were just behind it and not in it. Even if we were closer, the hard breaking would likely have been tough on Haley. Anyway, it was good for me to realize that even though our situation was hard, there were others with much more difficult things in their path. A good reminder.

Home At Last

After one hour, traffic started moving again. When we got up to where the accident had been, we saw the semi, which looked unscathed, and the mini-van with its front bumper peeled off. It had a vanity plate, that I noticed was two names, presumably the husband and wife of the family. I again, said a silent prayer for this poor family and for the truck driver as well. The rest of the trip was uneventful, although I did drive even more cautiously the rest of the way. We arrived home to see our front door decorated with a "Welcome Home Haley" sign. Our sweet neighbor, Julie, was at it again!!

Here is a picture of Haley with pillows all around her for the trip. You can tell by her face that it was still so painful for her, even with the pillows.

And here is a picture of our front door.

Please keep praying for Haley's healing. It's been a bit discouraging for me to see how much pain she is still in. It's also a bit scary to be this far from Dr. Henderson. But I'm thankful for our wonderful family practice doctors, who I know are just a phone call away. Still, Haley needed pain meds through the night (Larry set his alarm to get up and give them to her), and even now, she just cried out to me that the pain is overwhelming. I'm the type of person who loves stories with happy endings, and in my mind, when I saw that she could walk and that her migraine was gone, I thought it would be smooth sailing from there. I need to readjust my expectations and realize that based on what others who have been through this have said, it's a long, painful convalescence. They estimate 12 weeks or more until she's functioning somewhat normally and up to a year for full recovery. It's a bit discouraging to see her back in the hospital bed in the living room and me needing to contact her "Angels" for more help. Pray for Larry and me, as we are tired and need to realize what a marathon this is. (I hate marathons!!) Thanks, friends!