I cannot begin to express how overwhelmed I've been by the outpouring of love and prayers for Sarah. After posting about her accident, I've received hundreds of emails from readers praying for her and asking about her. I'm still receiving emails daily and it means so much. So let me give you an update on Sarah and the story of her accident.
But first you guys.... your emails have been amazing. And messages and texts and comments. I even had several ask for my address and mail her cards and gifts and I can't tell you how much it's lifted her spirits.
So as I start writing this, it's been 12 days 14 days since her accident (it took me a lot of time to get this all written). It seems like it was just yesterday and weeks ago - all at the same time. Her recovery has been nothing short of miraculous.
This post is long, but I'm going to try to journal every detail I can remember. I am going to name names, but God help me, I may have them wrong. That was easily one of the most traumatic days/nights of my life and my memory is not perfect, I know.
As for my Sarah, she's looking quite beautiful, right? I took this picture yesterday (March 7).
She's a remarkable young lady and she's made me proud over and over again these past 2 weeks. So with her permission.. I'll share a few photos from her accident and give you an update on where we are right now.
First, we still don't know what happened. Here's what I can tell you.... {the following description is gruesome - skip to the next section if you don't want to read the details}
The Accident
On February 22 around 4:45 pm, Sarah came walking into our living room making the most awful screaming/moaning noise I've ever heard come out of a human being.
I turned to see her face and hands covered in blood and her mouth strangly pried open - also covered in blood. Anyone who knows me, knows I don't "do" blood. I usually have to hit the floor to keep from passing out. But by the grace of God, something in me snapped and I jumped to help her without missing a beat.
I couldn't understand anything she was saying and quickly realized that she couldn't close her mouth or talk because there was a piece of wood lodged inside her mouth. It had knocked out teeth and mangled the inside of her mouth gruesomely. She had one tooth in her blood-covered hand.
I gently pulled the chunk of wood out and got her into the bathroom and told her to get her head in the sink and start running water through her mouth so I could see how bad it was.
In the meantime I started screaming for my boys to call their Daddy (who was on his way home from work), call their uncle (the relative who lives nearest to me) and call the dentist.
They didn't know who to call first and neither did I. I was completely panicked and beside myself. Finally Andrea, the office manager at the kids dentist's office, answered and I told her Sarah had knocked out teeth and asked if anyone could meet me after-hours.
Let me interject here and say I adore our dentist and his staff. I have Andrea's personal phone number because I've done sweets for her and I knew she wouldn't mind me using it under the circumstances.
She told me to put the tooth (teeth) in milk and she'd get the dentist from the office next door to meet us at the clinic. Our dentist was on his way out of town but she very quickly found another one who would help us.
In the meantime, Sarah started to make sense (but not make sense). She was finally saying words I could understand but they scared me to death. She was crying, "Mommy, I'm having a bad dream, wake me up please." Then, "Please tell me I'm dreaming - I don't know what happened." And, "Mommy what happened to me? Where am I? Is this a dream?"
When I realized she was confused and didn't know where she was and that she was even awake, I changed course and made the decision to go straight to our (very rural) local ER. I probably should have made this decision from the get-go, but I initially thought (hoped) that our biggest problem was a couple of missing teeth.
When it hit me that she likely had a head injury, I drove 100mph (no exaggeration) to our hometown ER (about 10 miles away) and all but carried my daughter into the hospital screaming that we needed HELP!!
Local Emergency Room
The photo below is at that first ER - after we'd cleaned some of the blood off of her face and they had stabilized her neck:
Let me stop here and tell you what I do know/remember about that afternoon. We have a small 80(ish) year old house on our property. It's down the driveway (maybe 50 yards) and Sarah had been setting up a "craft room" in that house. It has no electricity or water, but it has doors and windows and she wanted to have a desk there in front of a window to work on her projects.
I was actually doing blog work that afternoon and cannot remember the time-frame, but she'd come in at some point that afternoon, told me what she was working on, and said she was going back to work some more. She asked if she could paint the walls and I told her she'd have to talk to her Daddy about it. Then she left to get back to work.
I can't tell you if 10 minutes passed or an hour. I probably could've then if it hadn't been such a blur, but I really don't know. My guess would be that she'd been gone at least 20-30 minutes.
The next thing we know is she says she remembers waking up on the ground, face down in the grass and she she pushed up with her right arm and she saw the blood and tooth in her left hand. We don't know how long she was unconscious (or if she was at all).
The next thing she remembers is being in the bathroom. She doesn't remember coming to the house at all. She doesn't remember what happened at all. We have a theory, but we'll never know for certain.
We think (my husband is pretty confident) that a branch fell out of one of our gigantic pines and she looked up just in time for it to hit her square in the mouth and flip her off the bike. You can get an idea of just how large the trees are in the background of our Christmas card here. We found a fresh fallen branch on the ground near the bike and that would also explain her head slamming into the ground and why she has no other marks on her body.
Later my brother found the bike wrecked (actually upside down standing on the handlebars), but no gouges or disturbed dirt/grass/gravel to indicate the wreck and the bike was not damaged.
Whatever it was, it was a crazy, freak accident that ended with her bike standing upside down on the ground, and her having wood lodged in her mouth, missing teeth and broken bones in her face (lower jaw fracture and the bone in her cheek area) but not one other scratch or bruise anywhere on her body.
Okay - back to that first hospital... Sarah was still somewhat confused when we got there. The doctor looked in her mouth, realized the extent of damage was pretty severe and immediately ordered a CT and X-rays of her head, neck (spine) and face.
It was there that we learned she was missing two teeth (one in the cup of milk I brought with me, one we never found) and had two more hanging on barely, and one or two more loose.
She also had deep cuts inside her lips (both upper and lower). There were fractures in her face (both in her lower jawbone and in her cheek area), and her nose was broken.
The great news was she did not have any fractures in her neck or skull. They said she had a mild to moderate concussion but no other internal injuries (in her brain or otherwise).
Because of the severity of damage inside her mouth/face, they decided to transport her by ambulance to Batson Children's Hospital (90 miles away) and let the pediatric teams there evaluate and decide the best course of action. They told us she would have to have surgery but we didn't know any more than that.
The ambulance driver (Billy? maybe?) was one of my hero's that night... he kept me talking and distracted the whole drive while his partner gave Sarah her first dose of pain meds in the back (thank you thank you ... I think her name was Valerie)!
The couldn't/wouldn't give her pain meds in the ER until they knew if she had a head injury. After they determined that she did not have a head injury, they were so focused on getting her in an ambulance and on her way to Jackson that nobody ever gave her pain meds.
So when she was offered it in the ambulance, I almost cried with relief. Sarah said she wasn't hurting much but I can tell you - she was in shock and baby girl needed some relief.
Children's Hospital ER/Trauma Room
Around 4 hours after the accident happened, we arrived at the Children's Hospital:
This was approximately 8:30pm and we were in for a long, long night. We saw no less than 13 doctors that night including ER doctors, a trauma team (of 7 doctors I think), dental surgeons and oral-maxillofacial surgeons.
They ended up doing a full body scan to check for other internal injuries and evaulating her over and over and over again. Batson's Children's Hospital is part of University Medical Center which is a teaching hospital and gosh... they have a lot of doctors (or wanna be doctors) to teach.
I can name 3 names from that night (I think) but only two really stood out to me. The one nurse that cared for us the most was a gem. I think her name was Keta (could totally be wrong but it was a short "K" name similar to that if I'm wrong) but she was just precious and she kept my girl comfortable.
The other was Dr. B (can I say doctor's names? not sure so we'll go with B). I will never forget his name and face. When he first came in, I didn't like him. He was all business and I felt like not personable at all. Also, he was carrying a bonafide (fishing) tackle box. What in the world? I can't find the picture right now but my sister was there and she snapped a photo of his tackle box.
Granted I was exhausted and in shock, but my first impression of Dr. B was not good. I can say without out a doubt though, that I was wrong about him and my opinion quickly changed.
He told us he had a little sister Sarah's age (actually within 6 days of her exact age and also the same height and weight we learned the next day) and he began to care for her as if she were his own sister.
He asked if we wanted her mouth repaired there in the ER/Trauma room or if we'd rather wait for other surgeons and have it done with her under anesthesia in an operating room. When I asked what he'd do for his sister, he said OR and we knew that was the best choice.
It had been hours since her accident and he was the first one to clean out her mouth and clean out her nose (which had been full of blood and she couldn't breath through it). He removed two more of her teeth right there in the ER for fear that she'd choke on them if they came loose.
But he also left the loose ones and told us he felt confident they could save those teeth and they were secure enough that they weren't a choking hazard for her.
I know it sounds cruel but I could tell he really cared about her well-being and was acting wholly in her best interest. If my memory is not failing me, he's actually who insisted that she be fully evaluated head-to-toe for other possible injuries. I wish I could see him again today and give him the biggest of hugs.
Once we decided we wanted her mouth to be repaired in an OR, they put in a request for a room and the waiting began.
Anyway, we stayed in that trauma room for hours waiting to be moved to a room. Hours and hours. Finally, around 3:30 am, they moved us to a room. "Us" included Sarah, Richy and I.
Richy came straight to the first ER from work, but from there they only allowed one of us to ride in the ambulance. So my husband stopped by our house to swap vehicles (out of his work car and into our truck) and then was only 10 minutes behind us arriving at the second ER.
This man never left us for a minute after that. In fact, at one point they were only going to allow one parent in the room while they did some procedure. I tried to stay but finally the shock from the day caught up with me and I lost it. I literally turned green and I could feel myself going out. All the blood left my head and I started to black out. The nurse witnessed it, and put me in a wheel chair. Talk about humilitating.
Here's my little girl hurting and so traumatized and I nearly pass out. After that, they didn't let me stay in the room for any procedures. I know it was the smart thing so I didn't also end up being a patient, but this mommy heart hurt that I wasn't strong enough to hold her hand through it all.
Thank God my husband is tougher than I am and he stayed through all the hard stuff that my head/stomach couldn't take (like when they cleaned her up and removed 2 more teeth).
Anyway, we got into our room, made up our make-shift beds (me on the couch-cot and him on the floor - part of the couch detached for a second "mattress") and we tried to get a few hours sleep. I have a pic of this I'll try to add later. They told us it might be late on Friday before they could do her surgery since she wasn't on the schedule, so we tried to wait and rest.
Emotionally, Friday and Saturday were the hardest from the whole ordeal.
Her physcial pain was manageable and she was a champ on that front. She was allowed pain meds every hour but didn't even always take them. The hardest part was saying her throat was dry and hurting and she was thirsty and asking for water (that she couldn't have).
But then there were the sobbing fits. From time to time it would just overwhelm her and she'd begin to sob and wail again. Wishing it hadn't happened. Devastated that she'd lost teeth. In disbelief that she'd just gotten her braces off a few months ago only to have all of her perfect teeth knocked out. She hated the way she looked and felt. She didn't want to see anyone. She talked about not leaving the house.
It was all made worse by the fact that she couldn't close her mouth due to the swelling and pain so she was non-stop drooling and she couldn't blow her nose (because of the fractures in her face). When she'd start to cry, the snot would just have to flow freely.... which just made her cry more. It was a painful, viscious cycle for her and us. We felt so helpless.
The pain meds seems to calm her down for a while and she'd sleep, but then a new doctor would come in and talk about it being months before she could get her teeth fixed and the sobbing would all start again. It was just too much.
Anyway... Friday was a blur. Richy and I were operating on barely any sleep and all we could do was watch her and wait. Finally around noon, they told us she was added to the surgery schedule and actually going to be taken in shortly.
Surgery
We took this "selfie" with her just before they rolled her out:
From there, it was no time before they came to get her and took her up to the 7th floor. We saw Dr. B again, along with 2 other surgeons and then they took her off to surgery. They were all really encouraging that her injuries were some of the easiest to repair and that with her age and the damage done, she'd be perfect again just a few months.
We could've waited on that floor in a public waiting room, but since they now update parents via cell phone vs. the hospital phone system, we chose to go grab a bite to eat (we hadn't eaten for way too long) and then wait in her private room.
They told us the surgery would take 2-3 hours and they were spot on. Having had children with very bad reactions to anesthesia, we expected the worst when they brought her back down to us, but we were so relieved that she was a dream patient. She wasn't crying or upset at all... just peacefully waking up.
The fractures in her nose and face were "minor" and not "displaced" so her nose would remain straight and the tiny cracks in the other bones were lined up and would heal without being wired up or anything. The greatest trauma was all the stitches in her lips and gums.
From the time of the accident until now, her face was the most swollen immediately after surgery. She had stitches inside her lips and in her gums (top and bottom on both) and the surgery alone took a toll on her facial tissue. They had to do bone grafts inside her gums to prepare for implant later on and well, it was just a lot of trauma to her face.
They warned us she might be black and blue the next day, but the bruising never happened. Praise the Lord!! She did stay swollen for several days but this was the worst of it externally.
One More Night
Originally they told us she'd be discharged after surgery, but around 5pm that evening, we noticed a rash on her arms and chest. They felt it might be a bad reaction to one of the medications she was on and decided to err on the side of caution and keep her another night. We were not upset.
No, we didn't want to sleep on the hospital cot-couch thing again, but we only wanted the best for her and one more night brought a little more reasurrance for us. Plus, she could continue to get IV pain meds and that was a comfort to me.
I was terrified of her having to take oral pain meds. First I was worried about putting anything into her mouth under the circumstances and I also worried they wouldn't work fast enough. I didn't want my baby girl hurting.
Between sleeping... Saturday, February 24, brought about more waiting and sobbing. We were under the impression we'd go home in the morning but that didn't happen.
Her surgeon had been called into the OR and wasn't available to sign her discharge papers so we were basically on hold all day. She slept alot, but she was also upset a lot. She couldn't rest completely because the IV in her arm was in the bend of her elbow so she'd nod off, curl up to get comfortable and the IV alarm would go off. She'd wake, cry, etc. and we went through that over and over again.
Finally mid-afternoon, they removed the IV so that brought some relief while we continued to wait. It was after 5pm before they finally released us to go home.
I won't keep giving you a million details, but over the next few days, Sarah continued to improve. The swelling gradually went away, the scabs came off her face and she got more and more confident. She continues to deal with tiring very easily (due to the concussion) and having to rest more than she'd like, but overall, she's herself.
I won't say she's completely well - just yesterday she cried when we went to see her orthodontist to see if he had any recommendations to help her while we wait for the bone grafts to heal. She was supposed to be going back to confirm how well her retainers were keeping her teeth straight - not showing him how she'd lost so many teeth. It was hard for her.
Her speech is a little off (as it would be for anyone missing teeth) and she's a little hesitant to smile big outside of immediate family, but she's not staying home. She wants to get out, see people, laugh and smile. She's strong and brave and so confident. She's happy and fun and my sweet, kind Sarah.
Her doctors are waiting 2 more weeks to remove the stitches from her mouth, then we'll get a plan together for where to go from here. She'll get temporary teeth (in the form of a "flipper" - whatever that is) then eventually she'll get permanent implants (likely in 6-12 months).
The timeline will depend on her age (she's 14, almost 15), whether they think she's done growing, how well the bone grafts are healing and things like that. But hopefully within the year, she'll be well on her way to this being just a bad memory.
I'm most grateful to God for protecting my girl from any permanent damage. I fully recognize that He had her in His arms that day and protected her from what could've been much, much worse. He has also healed her quickly and continues to answer prayers daily for our sweet girl. All glory goes to Him now and always.
Her healing in pictures...
Here are a few more pictures from the past several days at home...
She slept on the couch for the first 2-3 days. And she loves her stuffed animals 🙂 This was Sunday, February 25:
On Monday the 26th, she finally felt more herself. She got up, showered, and we sat out on the front porch for awhile:
As you can see there, she was still really swollen.
This is Sarah on February 28th:
She got out and walked around the yard picking flowers. There was still swelling, but the scabs on her face were completely gone and now the only visible mark of her accident is the swelling and inside her mouth. She still had some concussion symptoms... she can't read, write or text without her brain getting really tired, really fast.
This was the night of March 1 and the first time I really noticed that the swelling was all gone:
She'd gotten a package in the mail from her best friend in Italy and she asked me to snap a picture so she could send it to Isabella <3 .
March 3:
We had tickets to Cirque de la Symphonie and we went out for pizza first. Sarah still has several missing front teeth but it hasn't slowed her down. She figures out a way to eat just about anything she wants, any time she wants 🙂
And yesterday, March 7:
She is just amazing and so beautiful, inside and out. Thank you again for all of your prayers and love and concern for Sarah. We still have a few months of recovery ahead and I know every day won't be easy, but I'm overflowing with gratitude that she's still with us here today and there was no damage that modern medicine and Jesus can't fix!
--> Click here for a more recent update! <--
xoxo,
Rose
Kate
Praise God for protecting your sweet girl, and providing a quick recovery! Praying for you guys! Thanks for sharing!
Heather Luse
Rose, I know we won't ever meet but Bless all of you. I can't imagine. What a strong young girl you have and we will be praying for all of you! Take care, Heather
Norma Wimer
What a heart warming story!
Chris
So happy to see such a remarkable recovery. Truly answered prayers, thank God.
We will continue to pray for your family and Sara's continues good health.
Christine Wainwright
So very happy to hear of Sarah’s improvement.Our Lord was really with her that day and brought her home to you.I’ll continue praying for you and your family. Keep strong.
D.Campbell
Rose, I can only imagine what you and Richey and your beautiful daughter have been through. When I was 16 I was in a car accident. I had so many injuries but by the grace of God and my young age, I recovered very well. I am now 74 and have lived a wonderful full life. Your daughter will do the same in Gods timing. I wish all of you the very best. God bless.....D.Campbell
Arlene
I have been praying for Sarah I was so pleased to read this and know and see how much healing has been done. Only God knows what needs to be done, his strong
ongoing healing hand has been there for you sarah. You are a beautiful young girl and it appears nothing will put you down good for you. My prayers will continue, always remain positive.
Diane P.
Praise the Lord for such a positive outcome, which could have been a more horrible accident. Sending prayers and hugs as Sarah and your family go through this long healing process. Praying that the discomfort for Sarah gets better every day and so proud of her with what she is going through. Thank you for sharing the story. I know you have a lot of followers who have been concerned and are sending prayers and hugs.
Dolores
sweet story, blessed, pretty girl 🙂
Margie
Thank you for the update on Sarah. We are so happy for your family that she is doing so well. Truly the Lord was by her side.
Dawn Ewing
Rose and family, I am here in Colorado thanking God for His grace and mercy, for his healing touch and for the love you all have for Him. This is an amazing story and I am so glad you were able to write it. Rose don't worry about not being able to be with your precious daughter during some of the procedures, her daddy was there with her, she was not alone. Thanks be to God for his love and for your beautiful daughter!
Glenda Waters
Thank you for sharing your journey (continuing) with us. I have prayed for Sarah and am thankful she is healing physically and emotionally. May God give her a speedy recovery and give you continued strength.
He is a very present help in the time of need!
Beth
Praise the Lord!
Kelsey
Oh my goodness! I am so glad she's okay! What an ordeal. She is a strong young lady! I'm so sorry you all had to go through that. Thank God for amazing doctors and nurses.
Dolores Jonusas
Praise the Lord! So happy for Sarah and for you guys. Love and faith conquers all. She is a beautiful, strong girl and will continue to be.
Teresa carter
She looks FANTASTIC!!! Aren't you glad God gave you a girl. Feeling bad, but picking flowers. Too perfect.
Kay
God is love and is exemplified in you, your husband and Sarah. Surely, He is a Refuge and Strong Tower in times of trouble; He is Sarah's Deliverer and Protector and has shown Himself strong in her behalf. May the God of all comfort, continue to comfort and strengthen Sarah...and you also.
Much love,
Kay
Amy Tzall
Oh my goodness. What an ordeal. But her sign says it all. She is a strong young lady and with the love of you, Richy and her friends and family she will get through this. God Bless you all!
Ingrid Diana LEUKIS
Thank you for updating us God is great for the amazing healing She is beautiful
Jane Nathan, Brunei
Dear Rose
I was in tears reading your blog, feeling the pain and anguish a mother goes through when her flesh and blood is traumatised. I am glad all turned out well and Sarah is looking so beautiful. Praise the Lord for His quick healing. God bless you and your family. Much love xxx
Cindee Hurley
Thank you for the beautiful post. You, Sarah, and your entire family have gone through so much over the past days. I’m so happy she is healing. She is a beautiful girl and you are a beautiful family. I’ll cintinue to keep you all in my prayers! God gives us strength when we need it! Thank you Rose! Give hugs and hugs to Sarah for me❤️❤️
JULA
Sarah has been in my thoughts & prayers since her accident. So happy to hear she is healing! God is so good! It's so hard to see our children hurting! I have also prayed for comfort for you & Richy as a parents. Sarah is so beautiful! Continuing to pray for yall!!
dezi
Sarah, Sarah, Sarah, what a stunning beauty you are. God certainly gave you many gifts. Though I don't know you all personally, I know that God loves you and is bringing you thru this and you will recover because HE made our bodies to heal. One of my girls is also 14 and I cried when your momma first sent out a post about your accident. I am so glad to read this about your recovery as I take a break from decorating a cake this morning. Take care. dezi
Daphne
Wow! She is absolutely gorgeous! How brave and strong she is!
Kimberly Keena
I am so happy for your family that your daughter is doing so well now.She is a very rave and beautiful young woman.God has a plan for us all and I feel this accident is one that will later on become knowst to you all.Take care,all of you!!!
Laurie
So sorry for your poor baby, She is beautiful and I wish you all well.
Sharan
God is wonderful! Sarah is still just as beautiful and has a smile to match. Family is everything. Continued Blessings to you and your family. Big hugs!
Margaret
I am so happy for you and your family. It is a blessing that she is doing so well.
Fabiola
Thank you for sharing such a story! You and your family are very strong! So happy she’s healing!
You are in our prayers.
Judy Johnson
My heart breaks for the ordeal that Sarah, you, and your husband had to go through! As parents it’s our biggest fear that something will happen to our child! And as parents our heart breaks when we have to place our precious child into the hands of virtual strangers. Obviously those caring for Sarah were the best, as she is already healing and almost back to normal! You have a beautiful brave young woman, and Rose you now know you can face anything when it comes to helping your child!
Cynthia
OMG, she's so beautiful! My thoughts and prayers for her continued recovery.
Donna Cowart Martin
What a powerful story of healing, God’s love, and family devotion. Sarah’s story will be a story of strength and of a living miracle. God has great plans for Sarah and her future. Prayers for the Atwood family and health care professionals that have and continue to work with healing grace for all of God’s children.
linda barnes
Oh MY....What a story Praise God that he was with you all. We dont know how strong we are till we have to face a crisis. One day you will all look back on this time and Praise The Lord that He brought you though it.
Will continue to lift you up in prayer for complete healing physically and emotionally. Id like to send a card if you could leave me your address.
May the lord continue to lift you up and heal you. Jesus Loves you and so do we. Bob & Linda Barnes
Sarah
Rose, praise the Lord your baby is ok. I was just looking for a baker and...........
Debbie Hargreaves
As a mother myself, I feel your pain. As parents we always feel we should be able to 'make it better' and it's horrible feeling helpless when we can't. Thankfully, your strong beautiful girl has come through this. God was definitely looking after you all as a family through this ordeal. Even giving you a doctor who empathised with your situation. We all know that the nurses and doctors work so hard anyway, but I don't believe it was a coincidence that Sarah got 'Dr B'. Thank you for sharing this experience, and love to you all x
Robert
Give God the glory for taking Sarah in his loving arms and taking care of her. God is good. I will continue praying for Sarah and all of you.
Love all of you.
In his name.
Charlene
I can't even imagine what you and your husband felt when y'all daughter go through that. My nerves were torn up just reading what happened and especially when I saw the pictures. As bad as it was, I am still glad that it wasn't worse. God is merciful and I pray that he is with your daughter as she recover.
May God Bless you and your family.
Michele Brown
I read your story and my heart just raced! I am sorry you all had to endure this. Praise God, He is able and is healing your precious girl! She is definitely an overcomer by the blood of the lamb and the word of her testimony. Be encouraged and take heart, our God is in the waiting. He is working this out, somehow, someway to your good!
Kathu
Glad to see she is doing so much better. My heart broke when I heard about her accident. It’s really hard to see your children in pain. I know from personal experience.
Denise
Thank you Heavenly Father, for watching out for Sarah! God bless her in the coming days, week, months and years of her life. Empower, strengthen and enhance their walk with you,Lord. Amen! <3
Pam
Thank God that He has been with your beautiful family thru all of this. It is so hard to lose a child no matter what their age is. I know, I lost my beautiful daughter 3 years ago at the age of 37. But I know where she is and one day I will be with her again. God Bless you and your family. I love to read your blogs, you make everyone feel like they are part of your family.
J
I will keep all of you in my prayers..esp your Sarah.
Kathy Caravaggio
God bless. So glad your daughter is doing well.
Sabrina
Thank our most wonderful Lord that your baby girl will be fine.
Sonyia R
Hi Rose
I’m praying for a speedy recovery for beautiful Sarah and that God wrap and hold you and your family in his loving arms at this difficult time.
RAINA G.
Wow. Your daughter has incredible strength and I wish her well with her healing and thank God she didn’t go thru much worse. I can relate to the traumatic stress being that I was in a very bad accident at her very age. She’ll be back to herself soon and smiling again! Stay strong sweet girl.
Domenica
Such an inspiration. She is a beautiful girl inside and out. May God continue to watch over her and heal her. God bless you and your family.
Patricia Alfrey
Thank you so much for updating. Such a difficult thing to have to go through. So glad your sweet baby is feeling better and getting out and about. Praising God with you for this miracle!
Lori Fields
Amazing experience! Our God is still in the miracle business! Sweet Sarah is looking fantastic since the surgery! Hugs and love for you and Sarah...how traumatic for you all!
lisa
So glad she is doing much better, she is a beautiful girl and this has not changed that at all. <3
Felicia James
Oh I am so thankful to the Lord for the remarkable healing of Sarah!! She is a miracle for sure. Thank you for sharing her story.
Janene Phillips
Rose-I follow your blog routinely and was so sad to read about Sarah's accident. What a horrible ordeal for all of you. Thank God she is on the mend and had such wonderful care in bother medical team and her family. She is a beautiful young lady and this accident hasn't changed that. Keeping you all in my thoughts and prayers.
Melody Sprague
What a strong and beautiful young lady ! Thank you for the updates and I will keep all of your family in my thoughts and prayers.
Cymbeline
I’m one of your subscribers. I’m happy for you and your family everything went well.
Betty Critchlow
I have not been to your site for awhile. We have had some bad medical issues in our house also. GOD answered our prayers..Praise GOD he answered your prayers about your daughters accident. I will add your family to our prayer list. GOD Bless Your Family and keep you safe. May he continue to heal your daughter......Betty Critchlow, Shelbyville, IN
Joanna Ashmore
Sarah has the most beautiful blue eyes! All thanks goes to God for watching over her & allowing her to heal quicker than y’all originally expected.
Brenda Shults
God is good. May He continue to comfort all of you. Sarah rockin the pink lipstick! Yes! And just think, your implants can be as straight and white as you want! No braces required!! See? Theres an upside to everything! speedy recovery to you precious!
Deloris
Ohhh my God!!!! Rose, I was not aware of this accident. I am so happy that your beautiful daughter is doing well. God is great and always delivers to those who believe in him. Big hugs and prayers for a full recovery from Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
Melody Anderson Mitchell
I know that was scary and you held it together when she needed you. So happy she is healing wonderfully. Prayers for you and your family.
Chelsea
Thank God! I'm so glad she's doing better. What a traumatic and horrible experience. But at least you can move forward now. She'll be in my prayers for a quick recovery.
Michelle VanderLaan
Sarah I had a flipper growing up after a softball accident!!! Nobody every knew!!!! I couldn't have an implant until I was a bit older so this is what I had for years!!! You look awesome!!! Happy birthday!
Karen Hudson Truett
God bless you all! I will add you to my prayers, thanking God for allowing Sarah to have healable injuries.
JoAnn McGoldrick
God is good. I hope Sarah is feeling so much better at this time. What a beautiful strong daughter you and your husband have been blessed with.
Betty J Critchlow
We as parents hurt more then people who do not have children can even know. They can not imagine that when our children hurt we hurt even more. GOD sent his Angels to wrap there protecting Wings around her the day of the accident. They still protect her and give her comfort.
May GOD continue to Bless You, Sarah and your entire family.
Love and Prays to you all.
BETTY
Indiana
Pamela
Gee, and I thought having all 4 of my impacted wisdom teeth cut out while an impatient in the hospital at age 15 was an ordeal. That was a walk in the park compared to what your daughter had to endure. That has to be without a doubt one of the most BIZARRE accidents I've ever heard about. Honestly ( maybe you were), I'm shocked if you didn't get grilled and interrogated 15 different times by various agencies to see if you abused your daughter in some manner. (It's incredibly sad and sickening thinking they have to think this way because of too many real creeps and monsters out there masquerading as parents today) Obviously most people don't do these horrid things, including your family and mine, but even when my brother was 15 years old, way back in 1981 when he had a terrible accident crashing on his bike riding through the orchards across the road from our house with a friend on a "tar and gravel" road and REALLY injured the left side of his body with embedded gravel, dirt and whatever else the ER staff and I think even police (I was away in college so I don't remember much about it only hearing it second hand) grilled and interrogated my parents separately and my brother all trying to see if a parent had done something. My parents understood the need because not everyone cares for their children as good parents do, like them and like you and your husband, but it still rattled them quite a bit. When I had that dental surgery you can tell that was a LONG LONG time ago before insurance companies and hospitals became idiots with so much outpatient work and discharging FAR too soon in 95% of the cases in my opinion. I only did cardiac research for Hopkins for 15 years, what do I know! For what she has gone through your daughter looks BEAUTIFUL and OUTSTANDING. Speaking of early discharging, I think you can count yourself lucky in a way that she had to spend extra time as an inpatient. I FIRMLY believe hospitals discharge people FAR FAR too soon today and know several cases personally where things happened to people after they came home and not all of them had a happy ending. Having a mother who JUST retired finally at age 75 (she worked on call the last 5 years and only left last winter due to her own health issues, if able, she would STILL be there, she's had a VERY difficult time emotionally giving all working up, she's only worked in one way or another since age 5. When little like that they used to pay the young children to pick beetles from the bean plants and paid so much per jar). Anyway, as I was saying, the doctor and the nurse you found exceptionally wonderful, honor or do SOMETHING for them as soon as you're able. They understand that the last couple weeks your focus has been on your daughter but trust me, this type of professional today does NOT get the appreciation and the thanks SOME of them often deserve. Believe me, there are way too many people in the medical field who do NOT belong there, both in nursing and as physicians and even some other medical field as they are ONLY there for the paycheck. (I've heard this with my own ears sitting in a physician's library working at times). But....there are those who are outstanding in their job. They have tremendous compassion for their patients, like my mom, and a nurse I had about 10 years ago in a hospital, and others I've known and not even known. My dad had the most amazing team possible, especially one during 5-way bypass surgery at St. Joseph Medical Center in Baltimore about 16 years ago. He sent that staff roses once he got home. It sounds as though you have a great support system around you. This is when you discover who your REAL friends are at times like this and your daughter is getting the very best of care. It's a terrible thing for a teenage to go through but one good thing, you home school. If she had to go back to a school full of a 1,000 kids it could be VERY different. I wonder if those "flippers" they mention are a nicer name for dentures or partials? My mom has worn partials for decades. But its nice today they have implants in the dental world. Just think if this had happened 50 years ago, no such luck. Take care and don't worry about getting items posted. You have more important worries than blog readers. When you can, you can and when you can't, you can't. No big deal. Take care!
Saundra
So happy for Sarah, may God continue to bless you and your family.