Thank you so much for your prayers for us yesterday. We needed them desperately and were so grateful for all of them. I am sorry if I could not get phone calls yesterday - my phone completely died. I will try to catch up with those today. Here is a summary of the details :)
I got a call yesterday afternoon from a gentleman who had "found my husband on the side of the road". I THOUGHT he had stated that he had been hit by a car - that was not correct information. He then proceeded to tell me that he "was alive but needed to be taken to the hospital". I flew out the door with barely a word to my daughter and her friend Hailey who had stayed over to help with Gabrielle's birthday (the 14th). Elijah grabbed his boots and came with me stating that I needed his support which was true :)
We drove about 8 miles towards town and found that Tim was indeed on the side of the road. We were extremely grateful that about nine cars (many of them neighbors) had stopped and were caring for him. The gentleman who had called me was not present. They had taken such tender care of Tim making sure no one touched him or moved him - shielding him from the sun and wind with a blanket that they were tenting over his body. One of the ladies who stopped is a neighbor I had not met who lives up the road a bit. She knew who we were and without any request on my part scooped me into her arms and started praying for Tim and I and our family. Tim shared with me later that she was one of the first on the scene and had prayed for him as well from the time she came upon him. The firefighters, ambulances and police/sheriff's officers arrived within minutes of Elijah and I. Tim was speaking - mostly just one word/syllable answers to basic questions - definitely not his normal self. His hands were pretty well chewed up and his right middle finger was displaced badly. Instead of being straight up and down (12 o'clock position) it was compressed down short and off towards his pinkie finger at 3 o'clock. The paramedics thought he had possibly separated his shoulder. His helmet was cracked. His shirt had torn up in several places with road rash - a little on his face but overall he looked pretty good for having crashed like he did.
Elijah gathered Tim's belongings which had scattered and put them in the car. I was so grateful he had come with me. Elijah was a total pillar.
Tim had not moved from the position he landed in. The paramedics did an initial evaluation but after rolling Tim from his side to his back decided he needed to be boarded for the possibility of neck/back injuries. Tim had hit his head really hard when he landed; he had some neck pain and was dizzy. As they were loading Timmer into the ambulance he asked me to call Andrew (friend - homeschool dad - Christian and ER doc at St. Peter's). Andrew had just headed home from the hospital and had seen Tim fixing his back tire some minutes prior. I did call him and Andrew very graciously came in to evaluate/treat Tim. I followed the ambulance to St. Peter's.
Elijah and I got in - Andrew was already there with another doctor. They gave Timmer some pain meds and cleaned him up some. Tim was starting to do a lot better - he was talking better, even teasing a little with the doctors and me. The doctors numbed up his finger and repositioned it. I had to leave the room. Tim was completely "stoic" as one of the nurses aptly stated. He does amaze me with his ability to handle things well. He was commenting about some pain in his chest by his sternum. They did ultrasounds first on his shoulder and abdomen and got him ready for some CT scans.
Jodi and Pastor came up to the hospital and we waited in the waiting room during his scans. We were so grateful for their love and support as well as the love and support of our church family and others who were praying for us and who came to the hospital to stay with us. The techs had told me when they took him out that the CT tests would run about 20 minutes. I started getting concerned when they were at 45 minutes and still out. Andrew came out and talked to us as he got information. They had found Tim broke his neck and were running some additional tests. He broke C6 and C7 but only through one pillar of his vertebrae so the fractures were well aligned and no pressure or damage is on his spinal column.
They also did additional x-rays of his chest, hands and abdomen just to ensure no further damage was done.
All of his tests came back good. A orthopaedic doctor with spinal/neurosurgical emphasis evaluated Tim's tests and felt that he did not need surgery for which we were extremely grateful. He ordered a molded neck brace (collar) that Tim will be wearing for a while while he heals. He will NOT be riding his bike for some time. The doctors told me he very probably has a minor concussion. His right middle finger was not broken but had severely dislocated. It looks like he has torn the ligament in his right pinkie finger. His left shoulder is bruised and pretty swollen. When they discharged us late last night (we got home about 10 pm) they gave us warning signs for things shifting, pressure on his spinal cord, and other cautions but everything looks like it is going along well.
When all was said and done the situation was that Tim had flatted a back tire up the road some. He had changed that but it was still leaking some air. He was trying to get home but hit something on the road which exploded his front tire and whatever he hit jammed up his wheel instantaneously. The rotation stopped and Tim went flying over the handlebars. He hit his head on impact and bounced he said. That was one of the things he told me as the ambulance came - "I felt every bounce"
We have so much to be grateful for -- big things and little things -- Tim's injuries while very scary could have been SOOOO much worse. God kept His hand over us from the first moments. Tim firmly believes that things would have been different had not one of the very first things that happened been one of our neighbors praying over him. I agree completely.
Those precious neighbors and strangers who found him took such careful care of him - no further injury was caused because of their concern and care.
The first responders did their job carefully and well - again he was taken with such careful care.
People were praying for us immediately from all across the nation. As soon as I got back in the car I started making calls for prayer and they called others to pray with us and for us. We are SO grateful.
That my oldest two kids did not have to work yesterday and were home. God orchestrated them here so Elijah could be with Tim and I and Gabrielle could watch over our home and the littler children. That Gabrielle's friend Hailey was here to offer her support and help; the little ones were tough yesterday with all the upheaval.
My friend Gina who heard and without hesitation brought dinner to my children last night and asked yet others to pray.
Jodi and Tony and Pastor and Mark and Lynde who came to the hospital to stay the vigal with us -- THANK YOU! It was a comfort to know that I had shoulders to cry on and prayers being offered for us. Knowing that Elijah and I were not alone -- we are so blessed to have you as our friends and family.
Andrew came to the hospital. Tim was so much more comfortable and confident knowing that someone so gifted in his field, a fellow brother in Christ and a friend was there to evaluate and treat him. We are so blessed and thankful that he came and that his family gave their evening with him to us.
His broken vertebrae are aligned - we didn't face spinal surgery last night.
His fingers are not broken and were able to be put back perfectly in place.
Little things like the fact that Tim wore a long sleeved shirt to ride yesterday (he NEVER does that!) -- prevented so much road rash and skin damage that would have been super uncomfortable.
So many things that easily could have been but aren't. We are so grateful.
Thank you for your continued prayers. It was a long, hard day yesterday. Today is going to also be hard - in fact we were warned it is going to be much harder than yesterday for pain, etc. Tim has swollen some - especially his hands, shoulder, etc. His neck is hurting more. Things that are expected with this type of injury but not fun to walk out. We see a neurosurgeon next week for further evaluation. The road ahead of us is going to be bumpy for a bit as we go forward.
We cannot thank you all enough for your love for us - your friendship to us -- your prayers for us. God is good........... all the time!
