As I sit and write this my heart is joyful, my eyes are full of tears, and I'm so very thankful for what the Lord has done!! As many of you already know on Monday of this week our Pastor, Gary Caldwell (FBC Piedmont) and our Custodian, Eric Johnson were hit while they were on a bike ride together. The 4 lane highway they were on is honestly a safe road...few cars are on it, wide lanes. My own husband and many others have been riding their bikes on this road for years. Although the speed limit is 55mph on about a 2 mile stretch of it, it's very easy to share the road with bikers as you travel. So for whatever reason on Monday a Ford F150 came up behind Gary and Eric and hit them. We don't know all the details because the only one who remembers anything is the driver that hit them. As of now Gary and Eric are unable to find that memory, but I'm not writing this for blame, I'm writing this because AGAIN the Lord has Amazed me!!
When the EMTs and Firefighters arrived at the scene of the accident they thought Gary wouldn't even make it to the hospital. He was found in a concrete ditch, without his helmet on his head, and barely responsive. Eric was found on a the ground as well disoriented and hurting. I'm thankful for those EMTs and Firefighters who first came to the aid of Gary and Eric, although they may have thought it was hopeless they still did everything they were supposed to do to get them to the hospital. As they were on their way to OU Medical Center, Craig received a call telling him what had happened. All we knew at that time was that Gary and Eric were hit by a car and they were in critical condition. When Craig told me the hospital they were taking Gary and Eric to, it frightened me. I knew OU Medical Center is the only Trauma 1 hospital in Oklahoma and I knew right then this was serious. It's the hospital you don't want to go to, but it's also the hospital that has the best doctors. Thankfully we were able to drop both the girls off with my little angel on earth Jen Robinett, so I could go with Craig to the hospital. We were asked to pick up Gary's sweet daughter Andrea at work and bring her with us. It was really hard to know what to tell her and what not to tell her. So we decided to tell her that her Dad was hit by a car and was in the hospital, but we thought he was going to be okay. It seemed like it took forever to get there! When we arrived at the hospital the news wasn't good. Eric had extreme road rash and in a lot of pain. Gary had significant injuries from the top of his head to his feet. His brain was bleeding in two places, a artery in his neck was cut, his neck was broke, his cheek bone was broken, his right ear had been half torn off, his ankle and pelvic bone were broke and at this time he was only responding with his eyes. As a ministers wife, my heart just broke for Gary's wife Anita. I mean, of course my first thought was Gary and the trauma he is going through, but I just saw Anita in my head and wondered what she must be feeling. We all sat outside waiting for news of what the Doctors thought about Gary's condition, waiting, praying, worrying, hugging, and comforting each other. We finally heard that the two things concerning the doctors were the bleeding in his brain and his cut artery. They said to treat one thing would hurt the other, a catch 22 thing. All the broken bones and even the ear could be fixed but it really would just be a waiting game to see what would happen. I finally saw Anita and put my arms around her, and what I thought would be a broken and distraught woman was a strong, faithful, thankful woman. She kept telling me God is good and Gary is truly a miracle and then she went on to ask me how my migraines were doing. I've always loved Anita. She's always been so loving and caring towards me, always encouraging and uplifting. In my mind, if ever there was a time for her to fall apart and it would TOTALLY be okay, that time was now but that was not what I witnessed. They continued to run test after test on Gary and slowly he was able to talk to his family, although he struggled with memory and not understanding what was going on. They moved him from the trauma floor to ICU on Monday and on Tuesday the doctors came in and said the tear in his artery had healed already!! So now it is Wednesday, just two days since a truck hit my pastor going 55mph while he road his bike, and he is out of ICU, in a "regular" hospital room, and eating chicken noodle soup!!! Yes, my pastor IS a MIRACLE!!! He is also a fighter, not that I ever thought he wasn't but now he's like Super Man and his wife...Super Woman!!! I believed in miracles before this, but my GOD has really blown me away with this one. I know it will be a hard and long recovery for Gary, but the fact that he is still with us, still laughing, and will be meeting his first grandchild later on this year is beyond what any of us could've imagined. Eric, is also a MIRACLE!! He was able to be treated and released the same day as the accident. I saw some of the "road rash" he had on his back, and I know it will be painful, but Eric is VERY strong and VERY blessed to still be alive!! I truly believe that Gary will be standing behind that pulpit preaching God's Word a whole lot sooner than I thought. I would like to end this post by bragging about Gary's son, Gavin. To say Gavin and Gary have a close relationship would be saying it mildly. I have always enjoyed watching the relationship Gary has with Gavin, he practically shines with pride when he talks about "his boy". Now I've had the honor to witness this young man's relationship with his Father. Let's just say he is taking care of his Dad and his Mom in a very remarkable way!! I know his Dad is going to be so very proud of him!! Little Andrea, is a Daddy's girl, her little heart just broke when she realized how bad her Daddy was hurt, but when she got to go back and see him for the first time, she came back with strength and hope and has barely left the hospital. This family has shown me so much through this tragedy already and I know I will see so much more. The Lord has shown me things I thought were impossible. Thank you Jesus for granting us peace, healing, and love during this time. With YOU nothing is Impossible!!
