What a Traumatic and Memorable Birthday
*huge breath* This will be a long story.So, last night it was my 16th b-day party. I had 13 people over: Heather, Ashley, Anna, Jenessa, Hannah, Robin, Andreea, Lorena, Brianna, Matt, Ethan, Chris, and Mike B. We were sitting around the campfire just hanging out and having pizza for supper.
After supper we decided to start the quads and let people drive around on them (on our property). Matt and I were driving around in the smart car, Heather and Anna were driving the one quad and Ethan and Chris were driving the other.
Ethan and Chris were going up on our hill in our front yard going toward the ditch. The hill kind of slopes down and there is a fence toward the bottom before you can get into the ditch. Ethan was driving and didn't know there was a fence there. He was driving pretty fast and started heading toward the hill that had a fence halfway down. Chris yelled and pointed that there was a fence just as he saw it so he turned sharply to try and avoid it but hit it, broke it, and went through it into the ditch on the other side. They flew off, the quad rolled, and then they landed on the ground.
Chris came waddling up the hill and weakly yelled to Heather who was on the other quad and said to get help because Ethan was hurt. Heather thought he was joking but went to go get my mom anyway as to not take any chances. On her way back to the house to get my mom she past Matt and I and told us to go over there because Ethan was hurt. I though, oh ok. No problem. Probably just something as minor as a rolled ankle or bruised shin. Wrong. Totally wrong.
I got to the fence and my heart skipped a beat. I saw the shattered fence with the quad and the two boys on the other side. I saw Ethan’s right let that was bleeding quite a bit and had a big hole in one spot. It was surreal. I got lost in the moment, just standing at the fence, refusing to go any closer. A million thoughts started going through my head. The most overpowering one being what my mom would do. (My dad was in Swift Current with Nate for a ball tournament, and my mom isn’t exactly the most calm person when it comes to things like this. There’s just something about a male figure in this type of situation.)
My mom got the fence and was panicking a bit. She went over to Ethan and after a few minutes of I don’t know what because everything was a blur, somehow our neighbour ended up over there too. My mom was going to get Ethan and Chris into her van and take them to the hospital but when she went over to Chris he was blanking out and couldn’t stand up. (He had sat down in pain, holding his wrist after my mom got there. Then he laid down.) My mom and Heather were saying really firmly that he had to get up and get into the van to go to the hospital but he just laid there and occasionally said, “I’m okay.” Then he started closing his eyes like he was blanking out. He and Ethan were both in shock and Chris was also fainting in pain. Then our neighbour, my mom, Heather, and the neighbour’s sons had both the boys held up attempting to go to the van. Chris was all limp and out of it (because when I was talking to him today in the hospital he said he didn’t remember this part at all) and tripped over a helmet and fell down again. They put Ethan back down, both of them are conscious and seeming to do okay, and they just lay there. My mom finally comes to her senses—I wouldn’t blame her for it taking so long—and calls an ambulance.
The ambulance gets here super fast and does their whole procedure. It was impressive…and I have a whole new respect for ambulance and other emergency people. But…that’s a side note. Anyway, they put them on stretchers and take them to the hospital. (Just to give some perspective, the ambulance didn’t even turn their sirens on as they went to the hospital, so it wasn’t horrendously bad.)
My mom goes to the hospital with them and their parents meet them there. Meanwhile the rest of us are back at the house and in the living room sitting around and talking. As time went on we started playing the piano and singing: a nice little sporadic worship time. I thought to myself as I was watching us all sing and worship and take care of each other like family, “Now these are the kinds of friends I have. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.” As I talked about in an entry before about my birthday and how I felt that it didn’t matter to God what I did or who I had over but just that I would let the fact that he loves me and is my Father be enough. It totally was enough. I don’t want anything more.
So, Ethan is able to go home at like 3:00am this morning with stitches in his really deep puncture, crutches, and still quite a bit of pain in his leg. (The wound was deep enough that you could see his muscle.) Chris is still in the hospital waiting for surgery because he had already broken that wrist twice before and this break was even worse. He needs to get a plate type thing put in.
Ashley and I went to visit him today. Heather, Matt, and Mike B. had all been there at different times to. It was nice to be able to support him and be a comfort to him. He said that he wasn’t really in pain. But it’s still not very nice to be cooped up in a hospital. The whole time the situation was happening last night, the only thing Chris could thing about was Ethan and if he was okay. As he was getting rolled onto the stretcher he said, “How’s Ethan doing?” It was inspiring.
I think that’s pretty much the end. That hurt recalling it all again in such detail and basically reliving it. I feel all shaken up again.
God’s hand was upon all of us and his presence was so powerful the throughout the whole experience. I mean, God’s hand is upon every situation no matter how it turns out. But, in this situation, God chose to have mercy on the boys and on everyone else and give us a special little miracle and for that I am indescribably grateful.
posted by Amy @ 8:13 p.m.
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