A Brave Young Lad

A Brave Young Lad 1

In 1986, my last child, my daughter, was only a few months old.  I had three boys also, and we were planning to visit with friends in a town about fifty miles away.  My children were all strapped into the car, and we were on our way. 2

The trip was pretty much uneventful until we were about five miles from her home.  It was a dreary night, and dusk was setting with a light drizzle of rain that made it difficult to see at all.  I had to make a left turn, but as I did, I heard and felt metal against metal as my car was hit by a pickup.  The woman had no lights on, and the truck was a dark color.  I didn't see her coming toward me at fifty-five miles per hour. 3

My children were screaming and crying, and I tried to get the car under control so that it would not drop over the thirty-foot embankment.  I managed to stop far enough away that I didn't have to worry about that, but her truck had hit us with such impact that it turned us 180 degrees. We were now headed in the direction from which we had just come.   4

I first looked around to see my if children were alright. My oldest son, who had been in the front passenger seat, was bleeding profusely from his face and head.  I had lost control of my senses as I looked at his beautiful face, so calm with no fear.  He just sat there, not moving, not speaking.  A woman came running to our car and said that she had already had someone call the police and ambulance.  She offered a small quilt to place against my son's head and face.  Still he had said nothing. 5

"Oh, God, I'm so sorry!  I didn't see anyone coming.  I swear I didn't see anything."  I cried and screamed, not holding myself together at all.  Another woman came up to say that she had seen what happened; the truck might as well have been the color of the sky.  It was impossible for me to have seen it.  That did not give me any consolation since my child was in trouble. 6

The ambulance came and my son was cut out of my car.  Still he said nothing, his face solemn, almost as if this were a wee bit of an annoyance for him.  We were at the hospital within a few minutes.  I stayed in the waiting room as they took my son back.  After over an hour, the doctor came out to tell me that they'd be keeping my son overnight at least.  They wanted to make sure he didn't have a concussion or any other injuries they might have missed.  One nurse said the we were fortunate that a reconstructive surgeon was on duty.  My son's sweet face had required seventy-nine stitches.I stayed with him during the night.  The nurses kept saying that he was so brave for a child not quite eight years old.  And I must admit that they were right.  They brought him coloring books and other games, snacks and juices, and he merely said, "thank you." 7

My friends who we were planning to visit came to the hospital.  She loved my children as much as if they were her own.  She had been up all night.  So had people from their church.  One man called her to ask if she had found out anything about my son.  Since she had not, he told her that something told him that my son would not make it through this, but he was still praying.  When I heard that, I broke down, sobbing like a crazed woman believing that my son could possibly die. 8

He stayed in the hospital for two nights.  Not only had he required all those stitches, he also broke both of his collar bones.  He was in a brace, and this all made him quite the popular boy in school.  He was out of school for a little over a week, and all the children in his class sent him cards that they had made.  When he finally went back to school, he had quite a story to tell.   9

That day was a life-changing moment for me and for my son as well.  I have offered several times to pay for the reconstructive surgery on his eye brow which now has a scar through it.  He has refused.  He said it gives his face more character and happens to be quite a conversation piece. 10

As his mother fell apart for years after the accident by just thinking of the accident, he went on with his life and didn't look back.  What a brave young man he still is.11