I can remember one of the worst nightmares of my life coming true
One October day as I was sitting in my apartment at Ole Miss -- it was around 5:30 in the afternoon -- just getting dark -- when I got the phone call-- it was my mom -- her only words were:
"MARK, WRECK, MAY DIE--DON'T COME"
now please know that Mark is my baby brother -- my heart and soul --- my mom and dad worked the craziest hours and I literally took care of him all of the time-- his baby bed was even in my bedroom when he was a baby --- as I said - -my heart and soul -- and for her to tell me not to come was like sticking a knife in my heart -- but she didn't need another one of her children in danger (driving at night from Oxford, upset etc...)
Now what happened was he and a friend had just left our house, the boy driving was in his moms mini van -- they were only 15 and had just gotten their license -- now we lived way out in the country on country roads -- the guy driving dropped something, bent over to get it, his wheel went of the edge of the rough road, he jerked it back, the top heavy van began to flip. Now these guys were not going very fast at all, they couldn't have been they were not a good 100 yards from our house.
Well all of this to say -- Mark was thrown through the front window of the van. Landing in the ditch.
Mom was in town -- as one of our neighbors drove up to where she was and told her the news -- Mom went hysterical (which is nothing new for our mom -- hahahaha) By the time she got to him the ambulance was coming.
They rushed him to Kings Daughters hospital in Brookhaven. The trauma was so severe he had to be rushed to UMC.
Mark had a broken pelvis, some broken vertebrae in his back, a large gash on his head and was in severe pain. He had to have immediate surgery on his back and pelvic area - with plates being put in to hold his pelvis together -- it was horrible.
OK - back to me -- I DID adhere to my moms wishes, only because I had friends working at the hospitals and tons of people at the hospital who were talking to me continuously -- I was in no state to drive anyways - I would have never made it alone! At the slightest sign of daylight -- about 5am the next morning -- my roommate come in my room and said "do you want me to drive you" and YES I had to have someone drive me.
Walking in that hospital was the hardest thing I had ever done ( I thought) - until I saw my baby laying there -- my heart was ripped out -- but he was alive and that is all that mattered at that time.
Mark was in the hospital for weeks, then sent home w a hospital bed that had to be put in our living room.
His prognosis was not the best -- the doctor didn't know how well he would ever walk or if he would for sure -- and told him that he probably would never be able to have children after all of the pelvic trauma.
Mark was determined the doctors were wrong. When he went to his first physical therapy session -- he walked out of there (with a walker) which was something that even astonished the therapists. There was no reason he should be sitting up much less standing. GOD IS SOOO GOOOD!!
Years later here we are -- Mark is doing great -- and has the two most precious babies ever!!!!!
Doctors know soo much and we couldn't make it without them --but no one knows as much as our GREAT PHYSICIAN !!!!
Thank you God for my brother!!! Thank you God for my sweet nephews! You are amazing!!!!
JACKSON AND ALEX
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