LifeTrain

Alabama

School supply list in hand, I was sitting on the floor of Office Depot trying to find the electric pencil sharpener I'd wanted to purchase. They had been on sale and the low shelf was disorganized, making it difficult to see what was available from a standing position. The type I wanted had only one box remaining that looked torn open and used/returned. As I was trying to pick between the high end model and the cheaper battery operated model my cell phone rang. "Hey...Your Phone is Ring-ing....Hey...your phone is Ring-ing....Heyyyy...eyyy your phone is ringing...." Silly sing songy ring tone. It usually makes me laugh.

But, it was a good thing I was sitting down. On the other end of the line was my friend LaDonna. She was supposed to be on a retreat with her Mothers of Preschoolers group. I wasn't supposed to be hearing from her. Tim was with the girls. They'd been in an accident. She left the retreat and was with them now. Annalynn was alright, Amber was in the Pediatric ICU. They were run over by a golf cart in Huntsville, Alabama. I got up to walk out of the store and asked her to hold on. Less noise outside the store. Tim was on the phone now, LaDonna had either gotten teary or needed to tend to something. With so few details, and not wanting to ask lots of questions, I prayed with Tim over the phone that God would take care of Amber and even use it to bring glory upon Himself.

Over the past few days, this prayer has been answered.

We left the store and finished a few other errands we had to accomplish, all the while talking about when I should leave to be with them and what we could do. Eric had work Monday, so it was determined that I'd go with just the kids. I felt so helpless being far away, and I'm sure Tim and LaDonna felt alone. Far from family, friends, church, and home, they were stuck in a strange city to deal with one of life's most rattling experiences: the uncertainty of their child's health.

Later that night, I reached Tim and let him know I'd be there the next day. Was there anything I could bring? Could I take Analynn back with me? I also got a few more details. Five year old Amber was suffering from open breaks to her tibia and fibula, lacerated spleen, bruised lung, and various abrasions all over. Later, we would learn that her liver was also lacerated. The leg would need surgery, but could not be performed until the internal bleeding had ceased and her vitals were stable. Still not many details at that time. We continued praying. I found a cute picture of Grant and Amber together- printed it out and placed it in a frame for her hospital room. Both boys made cards on yellow paper (her favorite color) telling her to "get well soon".

Sunday morning, I packed for all four of us, and hit the road around 10:00 a.m. We arrived at Huntsville Hospital for Women and Children around 12:30 p.m. The boys watched a movie on the DVD player and Lael cried a lot. But, when we got there, we found Tim and LaDonna with Analynn and Allen. Amber's Nana and Papa had also made it down from Nashville. And as we sat in the PICU waiting area, bits and pieces of the story unfolded.

Tim was at a state park Saturday morning taking a cave tour with the girls. It must have been a pretty large cave, because an elderly couple was getting around on a golf cart. This elderly couple had just been talking with Tim and the girls minutes earlier about how cute the girls were, etc. etc. As Tim stood taking pictures, the same couple in the cart ran over the girls domino style; Amber first and then Analynn (whom must have been pinned beneath her sister since she was merely scratched). Speculation assumes that the wife was hitting the gas when she was trying to use the break because the cart never slowed until it hit a tree after rolling completely over them. On the same tour was a group of paramedics or EMTs that immediately rushed to take care of all involved. Not a singular EMT- a group! God is so good! They were then taken to one of the only Pediatric ICUs in the state which was extremely close. Thank you, God- you are so good!

After some talking and playing in the Children's Floor playroom, visiting hours rolled around. I went in to see Amber in her ICU room. She was sleepy, but responsive. There was a heavily bandaged leg awaiting surgery propped up on some pillows and IVs in each arm. She also had a GI tube in her nose attached with a little cone of medical tape to the tip. Sweet little Amber, so battered and bruised. While I was in there, we asked nurse Jenny if she'd bend the "14 and older" vistation rule for Grant so that he could see his friend. I assured her that he was the sort to handle it well and that he might even cheer her up a bit. Bless nurse Jenny, she said yes.

I retrieved Grant from the playroom and clued him in on the nose tube; I didn't know that it would be there and wanted him to be prepared. He was really shy, but wasn't scared. He talked to Amber a bit about the McDonald's toy he got with is lunch on the drive down, but didn't want to sit on her bed with her. Understandable, it was all so strange for him. Later, though, as we were about to leave the hospital for the evening, nurse Jenny searched for him to visit Amber again. I guess she'd been asking for him. That time, I wasn't in the room, but I gather they took a picture together and talked a bit more freely.

I've always known that Grant was a "people person"- that he could disarm even the most grumpy stranger in the grocery store or make a shy child come out of their shell a bit. I've known that God has a plan for his personality and that He'll be able to use it for His glory. That is my prayer, anyway. So, I was so proud of him that day as I realized he could do amazing things with his love for people. That he didn't cry and squirm away, but went in there and acted rather mature and friendly for a five year old, was warming to my heart.

Sunday night, we hoped back in the car to drive down further south to the Birmingham area for the night. If I was going to be in Alabama, I might as well visit with the Buttons! We got there about 7:30 p.m. and enjoyed the evening. Travis stayed up later than normal (thanks Trav) to talk for a time, and the kids ran around and played until about 11:00p.m. when they finally passed out from exhaustion. We ate Boca burgers and had Milo's sweet tea. We talked about the new church they are planting. About the everyday stuff we miss by being 4 1/2 hours away now. Short, but nice. Better than nothing at all. I tried to sleep after getting the kids to bed, but found that my mind was racing. So I got up and read my Bible at the kitchen table until I felt my mind matched my tired body and then successfully fell asleep.

Monday morning, we all ate together (minus Travis). Francis and Richard were lovely hosts. Blueberry Pancakes! And, though we didn't rush, we got ready without much chatting. All that said, it still took us amazingly long to get back on the road to head north to the Hospital again. This time, Amy, Chloe, Halle, and Richard (Amy's dad, a pastor) joined us to pray over Amber and the family. Seriously, the trip took an incredibly long time (we refer to that as the "Button factor") and we finally arrived at Huntsville Women's and Children's around 2:20 p.m.

Amber had a CT scan/ CAT scan at 8:00a.m. that morning to check on her spleen and liver. And surgery for her leg break was set for 5:00p.m., pending the radiologist's approval. But, when we arrived, she had been moved out of the ICU already and was in surgery. They considered her stable enough, and there was an OR opening. It was a quick procedure, so by the time we found the waiting room for that part of the hospital, she was already in recovery. We met up with the whole family as they sat patiently for a call back to visit Amber. The new type of anesthesia they used meant that she was extremely alert shortly after the drip was halted. When we went back, she was talkative and bright-eyed, as she normally is. Again, Grant handled himself well and even began to cry in the room because he didn't want to leave Alabama knowing that Amber and Chloe were there.

Once the stream of visitors died down, Tim and LaDonna joined me in the cafeteria for dinner where I had the worst chicken salad sandwich ever (but everyone else seemed to have a great baked macaroni). The kids were at their breaking point because of all the travel and confining spaces, so we said our goodbyes after the hospital train dropped us off at the proper stop. On the road again! We made it back to Nashville aroung 8:30 p.m. Thank the Lord! It felt so good to be home, and it also felt good to know that I had the ability to be there for a very dear friend.

Since then, Amber has been released and is doing well. She has a full leg pink cast with tons of signatures and a reserved spot for Grant who looks forward to writing his name. Difficult weeks are ahead, but I know that God will see that whole family through this trial and they will emerge on the other side with even more stories of His faithfulness.