Saturday, Sept. 4 - Update 1

Thank you all!!! The last 24 hours have been nothing short of a miracle!

She was taken into the surgery pre-op around 7:30 and the Dr. started her surgery around 10. Around 7, she was brought back up to her room where she was totally groggy and in and out. The Dr. said that the surgery went really well. Her body was able to tolerate everything as they went along.

In the evening around 10, we were, however, starting to feel really frustrated. We weren't feeling as though we were being communicated to. No one could tell us what was next, what to expect, the treatment plan or anything. My dad hadn't even seen one Dr. regarding her condition since Wed. morning (except for the orthopaedic dr.). He was worried and didn't know what the expect next. We were still really worried about her neurological state. Was any of the head trauma going to be permanent? We had so many questions.

Earlier in the evening, we were singing songs with her and she had remarkable recall. She was remembering some of the words better than any of us were. It was amazing!

Our nurse last night was truly an angel. She walked us through every little thing she was doing. What her doses of meds were, when she could have them, what they do - everything. It was a great feeling to finally feel like someone is actually talking to us as a family. As she was telling us what she was doing, in walked 2 of the PA's on mom's trauma team. They spent a good 45 minutes telling my dad everything. They went through x-rays, cat scans, treatment plans, expectations, rehab, all of it. As they were talking to my dad, Ron, and my aunt Angie, I was on the other side of mom's bed holding her hand. She rolled her head over and looked right at me and asked me, "Why am I here, Celeste?" I told her that she was riding her bike and as she was coming home, she was hit by a suburban that didn't see her as well as some of the details. She asked what her injuries were. I felt so alone. My dad, aunt, and Ron were focused on the PA's and I had to be her bearer of all the news. I told her about her face and reminded her of how beautiful she is. I told her about her shoulder and that they fixed it for her in surgery. I then told her about her pelvis. She repeated, "My pelvis is broken?" I saw her face drop just a little as she was comprehending everything. I just held her hand and she started asking questions. She asked how she got to the hospital and I told her she was life-flighted. She asked about the driver. I told her that she just didn't see her and it was purely an accident. She was able to see her flowers and asked who they were from. My kids made her little cards and I showed those to her. She was able to read them pretty easily. Almost better than I can read them since they write with 4 and 6 yr old handwriting. ha ha ha. She was able to smile a little when I told her who the cards/flowers were from. She smiled when I told her who had visited, how many people were praying for her, how much everyone loved her. After about a 30 minute conversation, just me and her - I was starting to get extremely emotional. I had to turn my head so she wouldn't see me crying. She knew better and asked me what was wrong - why was I crying? I had to sit farther away from her as my aunt told her that I was just really happy.

Who wants to tell their mom that they were hit by a car and had broken bones that have been so vital to her in running, biking, aerobics, weights? It was rough for me - but I'm glad I could be there for her.

After the PA's left, we all felt just about 100% relieved. Just as we were starting to worry about her mental state, she was talking to me as though she was fine. Still a little slow and a bit confused, but she was understanding. The entire 2-hrs from the songs, to the nurse, to the meeting with pa's  was just a miracle. That's all I can say. I had been praying for comfort for my dad. I had been praying for signs that she would be back to normal soon. I had been praying for better communication from the staff. And last night, every single one of my/our prayers were answered.

This I know - God hears us, helps us, comforts us, lifts us & KNOWS US!

I would also like to ask those of you praying for mom and for us, to also remember the driver and her family in your prayers. She was with 2 daughters, ages 11 and 15. All three are extremely shook up and one of her daughters has been having nightmares and is really struggling. Please pray for peace and comfort for them! Although they were the ones who hit mom, we need to remember they are also victims of their own mental hell and they need to be blessed with comfort at this time. And for those of your fasting this weekend, please include them in your fast.

I have a little desk calendar that has a little page for each day and appropriately enough, yesterdays quote was "Don't be afraid your life will end; be afraid it will never begin."
On that note, I want to leave you with a miraculous picture: