To God Be the Glory!...
For great things he hath done!
By Crystal Rae Nelson
(Those of you who have read previous articles by Crystal
Rae, will probably be wondering when the following event occurred...We
figure that it was in the summer of 1995... Crystal Rae, please let us
know if we are wrong about this! :-) - Ed.)
“Who O God is like you? Though you have made me to see troubles,
many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the
earth you will bring me up. You will increase my honor and comfort me once
again.” Psalm 71:19-21
I awoke early that Thursday morning, as I had all week. After working
in the garden for an hour, cleaning my room, making my shopping list and
spending some time with the Lord, I went to wake my brother Gregory. It
was our last day of swimming lessons, and he had several chores to do before
we left the house. Gregory and I took off across town on our bicycles.
We had been riding to swimming lessons all week long, and really enjoyed
being together. There were times when I, being a typical “big sister,”
would cringe at his idea of bicycle safety, especially at road crossings
and intersections. But of course, he was a typical almost-teenage boy.
Bike stunts and recklessness were a part of his nature. Really, what could
I expect?
After our lesson, the plan was for Gregory and I to separate. He left
to meet our dad for archery practice at the range, and I went back to Mother
at home. Before we separated, he asked me if we couldn’t ride together
to McDonald’s and buy an ice cream cone. I said that no, I didn’t really
want to. How could I know that before the day was over I would wonder if
I would ever have another opportunity to buy him an ice cream cone?
After shooting with Dad, Gregory left for home on his bike. Dad was
going to pack up his stuff and follow in the van.
An hour after I got home, the telephone rang. It was Daddy, calling
from the hospital. Gregory had been hit by a van several blocks from the
archery range. He couldn’t tell us much, just that it was very serious
and that we should come right away. My first reaction was disbelief. It
just didn’t click. It just wasn’t true.
As it happens, the site of the accident was right on the way to the
hospital. We drove past the squad cars and the emergency rescue vehicles,
at first only partly comprehending that it was Greg’s blood that was here
on the road, all marked out with white and orange paint. It was so hard
at that very moment, trying to grasp the reality of it all, trying to prepare
for whatever we might find, to give it all up, realizing that the entire
situation was beyond prevention and out of our control. Mother says that
it was at this moment that she surrendered him completely to the hand of
the Lord.
Upon our arrival at the hospital emergency room, we found Greg lying
there, thrashing around, his head covered with blood. I was with him for
only a moment before the doctors made me leave (“parents only” rule, you
know). He screamed twice in those few seconds, and those sounds, forever
in my memory, still haunt me from time to time. He was in tremendous pain,
and the morphine had not yet taken full effect. I think this is the one
time when I came close to losing complete control. Yet even then the Lord
was there, with the arms of the nurses around me and the peace of God enfolding
me again.
Within a few minutes, the decision was made to air-lift him to the
Mayo system in Rochester. After making a few phone calls, we left for the
hospital. We had two friends with us, and the five of us spent the very
long trip to Rochester singing, encouraging and praying with one another.
Upon our arrival at the St. Mary’s Trauma Unit, we were told that Greg
was with the pediatric neurologist, and that it would be a short while
before we could see him. That short while became an hour and a half.
When we were finally able to see him, we were told that Greg had a
hair-line fracture in the lower left part of his skull, and a contusion
(or bruise) on the right side of his brain. He was unconscious, and it
became clear that all the damage was to his head. He was wearing a neck
brace, of concern for any spinal injuries which could not be evaluated
until later. He was hooked up to an IV unit and given pain medication every
hour. The doctors had inserted a feeding tube through his nose and throat
and into his stomach. His heart rate and oxygen intake were monitored by
wires attached to his chest. He was restrained at his hands and feet to
prevent him from removing all of this, which seemed to be his central subconscious
focus. His strength was incredible; it took two adults to hold him at all
times.
He was moved to the Pediatrics Intensive Care Unit, where he spent
the first part of his stay. Daily there were new concerns, with swelling
of the brain a constant fear. Gregory’s ears were draining blood and spinal
fluid, which warned us that there was serious ear damage, the extent of
which could not be determined until he regained full consciousness, and
could undergo testing.
Throughout this time, I was staying in Faribault with some very close
friends of my family, while Mom and Dad remained at the hospital with Greg.
We traveled down to Rochester almost every day, and on the days we couldn’t,
it was only prayer that carried me through. In so many ways , I felt separated
from my family, and I longed to be with them where I felt that I belonged.
However, it was through this time that I truly came to know the truth of
our unity as brothers and sisters in Christ. I felt so drawn into the love
that was shared with me, such belonging to everyone I know, that my “family”
was always right were I was! I was never without the encouragement and
comfort of a sister or brother, and the love and wisdom of a mother and
father. My relationship, I feel, was enriched, with everyone I know.
After 7 days in intensive care, the doctors decided that Greg was stable
enough to move to the rehabilitation unit, where he spent the next five
days in hourly therapy sessions to help him regain his strength and mobility,
as well as to test and improve his mental capabilities.
Daily throughout our stay, the Lord was working new miracles, bringing
new wonder and joy to our hearts, astounding the doctors and therapists
who never expected such a rapid recovery. What was planned to be a 6 to
8 week stay was incredibly reduced to 12 days total. Our God truly is an
awesome God!
The aftermath of Greg’s accident (doctor appointments, therapy sessions,
surgeries, etc.) has seemed a very long process, but we rejoice that it
has finally come to an end. A surgery was done in October to correct the
complete hearing loss he experienced in his left ear, but was, regretfully,
unsuccessful. This surgery was repeated in March, predicting an 80% chance
of full hearing recovery. After six weeks, no change was noticeable, and
I for one was feeling somewhat discouraged. A very close friend of mine
encouraged me with the story of Jesus’ healing of the deaf boy in Mark
chapter 7. We committed to pray together for the healing of Greg’s ear.
As the next days passed, I prayed often and fervently for this healing,
and saw no great improvement; however, I felt a wonderful peace, knowing
faith in God’s perfect wisdom as well as in his power to heal. I was absolutely
thrilled when Gregory went for his first hearing check, and the doctor
reported almost full hearing recovery. I know that God was fully responsible,
and I praise and glorify his name for giving me this lesson and experience.
And so now, we have closed this chapter of our lives, thanking him
in all things, and praising Him daily for His mercies everlasting.
Often since the accident I have asked myself, “What if I had been there
with him? Could I have stopped it? It could have been me.” More selfishly
I have also thought “How grateful I am not to have been there. How would
I have reacted? Likely I would have panicked and been more of a hindrance
than a help.”
I have come to the realization that these thoughts are wrong. What
happened happened within the perfect will and knowledge of the Lord. Any
fretfulness on my part is a lack of trust in His love for me. I need to
accept the fact that God knew exactly his plans for each of us and our
place in this experience. It was a very difficult thing to go through,
but looking back, I can see how he used it to build and strengthen our
family in our faith and in our relationships with himself.
Above all else, I have learned to never doubt what God can do in a
seemingly impossible situation. I praise the Lord so much for the strong
support and encouragement of our friends and family. So many called or
sent notes of encouragement, which served to make each and every day easier.
What meant the most however, were the prayers offered up, the remembrance
of us before the throne of our Father. Nothing contributed as much to Gregory’s
full recovery. Of this we are all convinced.
I think for a moment of a favorite verse from Job 38:1 “Then the Lord
answered Job out of the whirlwind” Even in the midst of the storm, the
Lord is faithful to call out and speak to us, giving us his comfort and
the strength to go on. We never need to be alone. He wants to be our strength
and our support through every trial he allows in our lives.
I will close with a verse from Amy Carmichael that follows this same
thought. I hope that it will bless and encourage you as much as it has
encouraged us.
“All is windy about us now, but the wind will not last always; the
waves beat into our boat, but when the Lord says ‘Peace be still’, they
will lie down. Let all your prayer for us be that we may rest in the will
of God while the wind lasts.”
Love in Christ,
Crystal Rae Nelson