April 1^st started out just like any other day.  My kids were having a blast playing April Fool’s Day jokes on me and each other.  They did fun things like change the cereal boxes – so that the Raison Bran was in the Honey Comb box.  In the afternoon my niece and nephew came over to play.  They all went outside.  It was a beautiful spring day. The boys decided to toss the football around. 

My 8 and 6 year old boys just adore their 15 year old cousin.  And I felt confident enough to let them play outside while I was inside getting some cleaning done.

And then it happened.  The football landed on top of the patio awning. Jake, my 8 year old, decided he could climb to the top and retrieve it.  And the other kids tell me he did fine going up and reaching it, but on the way back down….

I’m sorry – but just retelling this story makes my chest constrict – and I have trouble  breathing.

On the way back down his foot got caught, and he lost his hold.  He fell backwards, his tangled foot causing him to turn upside down so that his head hit the concrete first – 6 feet below.

My daughter came running inside screaming for me.  She was talking so fast I couldn’t understand her.  When I got to Jake I was scared.  He was trying to get up and walk to me, but couldn’t.

I gathered all 6 kids into the van and rushed to the hospital.  I have no idea why I didn’t call an ambulance – I was in shock.  I couldn’t keep Jake awake while we were driving – he kept slumping over in his seat. The other kids kept talking to him – trying to keep him awake.

At the Emergency room they did a CAT scan of his head and neck – and then came to me with the bad news.  He had two skull fractures of the parietal bone with bleeding on the brain.  They prepared us to be transferred to IU Medical center 3 hours away. At the last minute they contacted a neurosurgeon at a local hospital – only 20 minutes away.

By the time I got to the second hospital Jake was not responding to his neurological checks.  They were talking to us about brain surgery and a possible neck fracture.  They transferred him to the pediatric ICU.  Some things that happened in this time are a little fuzzy to me.  All I know is that I called someone to start the pray chain, and everyone I knew was praying for my little boy.

The neuro doctor decided to wait on the brain surgery.  It was so hard to sit there looking at my precious child all hooked up to all the monitors and machines.  But I knew it would have been even harder to watch them wheel him into surgery to open his head and mess with his brain.

I sat in that chair next to his bed and prayed like I have never prayed for anything before. My poor little child, who taught himself to read at age 4, who sometimes annoys his big sister because he answers her math questions faster than she can, who asks questions like ‘do fish have eyelids?’ and ‘how does the I in soldier make a /j/ sound?’   was vomiting and losing control of his bowels and bladder, and unable to wake up.  And I prayed and prayed.

 And God heard me – and answered my prayer.  God reached down and put his hand on my precious child and healed him.  Because the next day…

Jake just woke up.  He sat up in the bed and asked if he could play video games.

It was the most amazing thing I have ever seen.  The doctors were amazed.  Everyone who was praying was amazed.  It was such a great thing – I think some people don’t believe me when I tell them how bad he was. 

I know God granted me a miracle that day.  And I will spend the rest of my life thanking Him for it.

God has great things planned for my little man.  And I will do my very best to prepare him for whatever God has in mind.