We are scared. Shaking-scared.
From the sounds of the doctors' words, it doesn't sound good for our son, Thad. Thad was severely injured in a fall while hiking with some friends yesterday afternoon and right now he is in serious to critical condition.
Thad, who is 12 years old, is now lying in a bed in the Pediatric ICU, machines recording his lifesigns. He is currently in a drug-induced coma, so he really doesn't know what has happened to him or what is going on. I just hope and pray one thing: I hope my baby isn't in any pain ....
It is so hard seeing our son lying there, vulnerable and broken. We are trying to hang onto hope that God will make him better, but right now, doctors are not sure as to whether he will even pull through. His injuries are just too serious: numerous broken bones, two punctured lungs, bruised kidneys, lacerated liver, massive head injuries that could result in lifelong brain damage or disability: the list goes on and on and on ...
It is even more difficult for us because this is Easter Sunday weekend (today is Good Friday, the day we remembered Christ's suffering and dying on the cross for our sins) and on Sunday, Thad was supposed to have sung a solo for our church's presentation of "An Easter Story". Now Pastor Darin is scrambling to find a replacement and has been calling for the latest information about Thad's condition.
He has promised to stop by (and pray for Thad and us) later this afternoon before the practice session this evening. To see his face will be like balm to our tortured souls.
Instead of hunting for Easter eggs and enjoying the holiday weekend with our family, Bryce (our youngest son; he is only six years old) and Emma (our ten-year-old daughter with special needs; she is in a wheelchair due to CP, cerebral palsy) will be spending the weekend with their Grandma and Grandpa while John (husband) and myself (Rita) will be here at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital, keeping vigil over Thaddeus, our oldest child.
We are not alone in this vigil: friends have been stopping by, asking for the latest information about Thad, and friends from church have been keeping us in constant prayer. There are other families here, too, and some of the stories are absolutely heartbreaking.
There is a woman here whose infant daughter (six months old) is fighting for her life because her deadbeat boyfriend shook her as a way to make the infant stop crying.
There is another lady here whose two week old infant son is fighting a massive bacterial infection; the baby could die at any time: he is not doing well at all.
I look at the people here with me, and they look exhausted. Tired. Careworn. Worried. Disheveled. I am sure I look like a wreck too, but right now, I don't care. All I care about is that Thaddeus Keith recovers from his accident and gets better in the end.
Just keep us in your prayers, and pray for the other families who wait alongside John and myself. We all could use a miracle about now! Thank you in advance!
~Rita Humphrey, Nashville, Tennessee.
~To be continued.~
