"for i know the plans i have for you, declares the lord, plans to prosper and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" - jeremiah 29:11
where do i even begin? one week ago today my family and i were on our way to canada for what we thought would be our last vacation for a while as a family. the 7 hour drive from pullman, where we were staying for a few days, didn't feel too long and the beautiful scenery along the way helped as well.
we got there that night. the first thing my brother matt and i had to do, obviously, was find wi-fi. so we explored the resort a while and found the place i thought i would be spending the majority of my time that week. when we came back to the room there were cheese and crackers and fruits for us to eat. we were relaxing finally.
the next morning we got up relatively early, made some coffee and a small breakfast, and were off to the slopes. my mom stayed back (she doesn't ski) and relaxed.
so my dad, two brothers, and i rode the lift up to the top of the mountain. roughly 10,000 feet of glory. it was beautiful. sunny, clear blue skies, gorgeous snow and the tallest trees. from where we were we could see miles upon miles of british columbian mountains.
we got one run in. to feel the fresh air and the swiftness of the skis on the snow was awesome. but everyone kept saying how the snow wasn't great and there wasn't as much as last year (my family had been up there before, while it was my first time).
the second time around at the top we stopped a brief moment for some pictures. then we decided that my brothers would go down together and my dad and i would follow shortly.
the boys went and about two minutes later i decided i wanted to go down the same run, even though it was a black diamond. i would just take it easy. ah the adrenaline was great. i was finally enjoying myself and letting go of the stresses of work, school, life, etc.
as my dad and i were coming down the run (we weren't even halfway through) i saw someone laying on the ground face down. i immediately felt sorry for that person. there was a man standing over whoever it was and i assumed he knew the person.
we approached closer and i saw the jacket. my heart started racing as it sunk. immediately i popped my skis off and ran to the body. "MICHAEL! MICHAEL!" i screamed as loud as i could.
as i got closer to him he wasn't responsive. at all. i didn't even think he was breathing at first. i bent down closer to him and heard a low gurgling sound. it was the scariest thing. i was hyperventilating. i couldn't breath. i thought i was going to pass out or throw up. this wasn't happening. this wasn't happening.
there was blood everywhere. his goggles were thrown off his head and shattered. i kept trying to see if he could hear us so i would say his name. but nothing. nothing at all. no response.
i was losing it. my dad was holding it together and thanking the man that was with him for staying by his side. but where was matthew?? he was nowhere to be found. the man that was with him had a son about michael's age. he told him to go down the hill a bit and wait (he didn't want him to witness the chaos). apparently when the boy went down the hill he saw matthew and told him that his brother was badly hurt.
then we saw matt come running up the hill and i immediately screamed at him "go get ski patrol now!" and he was like "is he ok" and i was like " no he's not fu**king ok. go get the fuc*ing ski patrol NOW."
i never swear at my family or around them. ever. i actually rarely swear. but at this point i didn't care. i wanted my baby brother to make it. and i didn't think he was going to.
i bend down and started rubbing his back and telling him that my dad and i were there and we all loved him. of course, who knows if he even heard me. but for my piece of mind i needed him to hear that and to know. i prayed so much out loud for him. i placed my hand on him praying that God and his angels would be there and keep Michael safe. that he would surround him with peace and comfort, and no pain. i prayed that the ski patrol would come and get him taken care of. i was praying so loud that anyone that passed us would definitely hear me. but i didn't even notice or care.
FINALLY. a ski patrol guy came. Graham. that was his name. he was so great. my dad and i have talked since and we believe that because of Graham, Michael was saved. that and his helmet. had he not been wearing it, we are not sure if Michael would still be here today. he held Michael down and got his helmet and face mask off so he could breath a little better. it was evident he was having trouble. he then held is head and neck still as we flipped michael on his back. that is when we saw his face. i cringed. i almost fell backwards as i stepped away. his nose was broken. his face was so swollen and there was blood everywhere. he started choking and Graham and my dad turned him over as Michael began to vomit. i didn't know what to do. i wanted to help but i was losing it.
Graham called for back up. 4 more ski patrol arrived and they called for a helicopter to come get him. that's when we knew for sure that it was bad. the head ski patrol guy was so great. he held my arm and looked at me and said they were going to do everything in their power to save him. they tried intubation right there on the mountain but because of the vomiting they were unsuccessful.
the helicopter came and we all bent down and turned away. they landed right there on the run. there were people up the hill looking down at us so curiously wondering what was happening. i know what it's like to be those people. i am usually one of them. an onlooker. i couldn't believe the situation was reversed. my poor baby brother...
as soon as he was airlifted to the local hospital in Invermere, we went down the mountain. i was so shaken up i could not ski. i ended up sitting on the back of the snowmobile all the way down the mountain. in any other circumstance that would have been fun.
oh yeah, this whole time, my mom has no clue what is going on.
we get down to the ski patrol lodge and i run in. i find my dad and matt sitting in there. the resort security are trying to locate my mom. they find her in our room. we get asked some questions then they drive us to our room. we arrive, my mom is there and is shaking she is balling so hard.
we dump our stuff in our condo, grab some clothes for michael and jump in our car. i have never seen my dad drive so fast in my life. we were tailing this little car, flashing our lights, honking our horn. i seriously thought they were going to pull a gun on us.
we finally got to the hospital like 10 minutes later.. we run into the emergency room. and we find michael hooked up to so many machines. there are like five different tubes in his mouth and nose. i couldn't bare it. they tell us he is going to be airlifted to calgary, alberta. my mom begs to ride with him, but alas they will not let her.
we then drive over four hours through the rockies and banff national park to get to him. the worst hours of my life. the quietest hours of my life.
when we get there we find him in ICU. we end up staying there for roughly four days. i never want to sleep in a hospital again.
the doctors and nurses there were so great. but we had so many scares. we weren't sure when we would be able to get back to seattle but finally, because of FRIENDS, not insurance, we were able to get Airlift Northwest to fly out and grab Michael and my mom. Matt, Dad, and I then had to drive back to british columbia and grab all of our food, and luggage, then drive back to seattle.
and now here we are. Michael has been in Harborview for about 3 days. today he is being moved to Children's Hospital to recover and get some rehab.
it has been the worst vacation of our lives. but you know what? we are SO thankful to God. he has kept us safe in the palm of his hand. he knew that this was going to happen. he knew his plan for Michael. for each of us. we have had to rely completely on him. that is so hard. but it is so good..
this little devotional that i read called Jesus Calling is so great. today's is perfect:
I am leading you, step by step, through your life. Hold my hand in trusting dependence, letting Me guide you through this day. Your future looks uncertain and feels flimsy--even precarious. That is how it should be. Secret things belong to the Lord, and future things are secret things. When you ry to figure out the future, you are grasping at things that are Mine. This, like all forms of worry, is an act of rebellion: doubting My promises to care for you. Whenever you find yourself worrying about the future, repent, and return to Me. i will show you the next step forward, and the one after that, and the one after that. Relax and enjoy the journey in My Presence, trusting Me to open up the way before you as you go.
thank you to everyone who has prayed for us. we love you. thank you everyone who has donated. we love you. thank you to everyone who have given us groceries, meals, etc. we love you. we are so overjoyed, overwhelmed, and so appreciative.
God uses every situation for HIS GLORY. as hard as this situation is, we are SO thankful that he has used this to bring our community together, to bring together the body of believers AROUND THE WORLD. we trust and we are believing and praying that if at least one person can be moved to Christ because of this it was well worth it. we are sorry that this had to happen to little Michael but he is recovering so quickly. he is surprising doctors this way and that way and he is getting us so excited. we love him and we are so thankful to still have him to love here in this world.
throughout this whole situation i have been so humbled for another reason. having been in three different hospitals (soon to be four) in the past week i have seen cancer patients, people who are mentally ill, burn victims, etc. our situation was bad, but there are other people who are hurting, who are in need. don't forget that.
there were Code Blue's going off every once in a while up in calgary. and we kept saying prayers for those little children that were hurting. this is such a good reminder to be selfless. to reach out. to love people. the homeless, the hungry, the hurting, the children, the elderly. every one of them is God's creation. he loves them so much. and unfortunately, suffering is a part of this world that we live in.
fortunately, we can take heart and take part in relieving that suffering. through prayer and generosity.
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
- James 1:27
