We had been trying to go camping since Labor Day weekend. A hurricane hit the US coast that weekend so Nate had to work organizing evacuation and relief flights. We planned another camping trip for two weeks later, and the same thing happened- another hurricane hit the US coast and Nate had to work. Then Ashley had soccer games most weekends and the next time we could go camping was the first weekend in November. So there we were on Nov. 1 enjoying the lake. The weather was warm, and James had been so excited- for months- to have fun on our friends jet ski. Nate took Marc out on a jet ski with him and James was on the other jet ski by himself. I was on shore with all the girls and our friends Bobbie and Bill.
James was driving around the lake nicely and doing 360 degree turns when Nate and Marc came over to see if he wanted to explore another part of the lake. Nate and Marc travelled farther than they had anticipated making their turn and James came out of his turns heading straight for them. James had sprayed water on his face and was getting ready to wipe his face when the impact took place so James did not see them coming. Nate avoided the direct head on hit and hit slightly to the side. The hit caused Nate's jet ski to go on top of the side of James' jet ski. He grazed James' head with the side of his jet ski on his way by. James sat in the seat for several seconds before he slithered head first into the lake where he floated face down in the water. Nate got his jet ski stopped and swam to James. Nate figures James went without breathing for about 30 seconds. Nate got to James, rolled him over and James flailed a little and started breathing. Nate asked him if he could hear him and James did not respond. Nate then said, "If you can hear me, raise your arms." James raised his arms. Nate then got James over to the jet ski where Marc was waiting for them. Nate got James on the jet ski without tipping over. James could follow commands and could help a little in the process. James slumped over Marc for the ride back to shore.
On the shore we heard the impact. We then started to try to figure out what was going on. We saw James fall off his jet ski, but we couldn't figure out much else. They were too far away to see who was doing what. We kept watching and were relieved when we heard the jet ski engine start. Nate really took off, and it was then that we knew something was wrong. Nate was heading back to shore as quickly as he could. James got off the jet ski on his own, and we layed him down on the boat ramp where Nate took off his shirt to apply pressure to the gash on James' head. Fearing a neck or spinal injury, we kept James calm and called for an ambulance. It was only a few minutes until EMT's started to arrive. The accident took place around 4pm and James was in the ambulance about 4:15. The hospital was only about 10 minutes away. James asked, "What happened?" many times. His second frequent question was, "How long was I unconsious?" I rode in the ambulance with James. Nate and Marc were not hurt at all. Marc stayed with the girls, Bobbie and Bill. Nate went back to our camp, got our car and met me and James at the hospital.
The Heber Springs Hospital ordered a CT Scan right away. It took a little while to get checked in then James was whisked away for the scan. I started calling friends who I knew would pray for James and asking them to pray for him. I knew that prayer was the only way we would make it through. When James came back from the scan, his bleeding from the gash in his head had increased. He was in the C-spine brace so they couldn't get to the laceration to apply pressure directly. They stuffed his brace with gauze. About 6:15 the Dr. was able to access the CT scan readings and know that James neck and spine were OK. The Dr. came in to remove James from the board he had been velcroed to. That is when the extent of the bleeding was realized. The bed was soaked down to the middle of James' back. The blood was 1/4 inch thick in places. The Dr. was noticable alarmed by the amount of blood and called for the nurses to find transport to a bigger hospital for James. We figure there was at least a pint of blood lost at that point. The Dr. had noticed a scalpal hematoma on the CT scan and asked us to which hospital in Little Rock did we want him sent. We told them Children's Hospital.
The ambulance was called out on a run and the Dr. did not hesitate to start looking for a helicopter. Both Children's Hospital "Angel" helicopters were out so they searched for another one. Meanwhile, James was bleeding through his bandages and his blood pressure was dropping (95/45). He was so pale. I knew that if we could get him to Children's Hospital that he would be OK. God continued to show his love through wonderful friends who prayed for James and offered to help in any way they could. The Dr. thought that James would probably need surgery to relieve the hematoma. It was under his scalp and did not pose any danger to his brain. We were so relieved but knew that James would need more medical care to make everything alright. All the paperwork I signed at the Heber Springs Hospital was for transport and surgery. We were told that there was a good chance James would be taken into surgery shortly after arriving at Children's. I really wanted James to see some friendly faces before he went to surgery if he was going to need an operation. So we called on several dear friends who gave up their Saturday night to be with James when he arrived at the hospital.
The Med-Flight helicopter took off about 7:50. It was a very small copter so I was not able to ride with James. That really upset me at first, but God gave me the peace that passes all understanding. Nate had gone back to the camp to tell the kids and Bobbie and Bill that we would be heading to Little Rock. We knew that the other five children would be in great hands with Bobbie and Bill which freed up Nate and I to focus on James. Nate picked me up as soon as the helicopter took off and we headed for Children's Hospital.
It took us about 70 minutes to make the trip. God's presence could be felt in our car, and I knew He was also with James. Our dear friends put James on several prayer chains and by this time, news had spread quickly and many people were praying for James. There was an explosion of prayer for safety and healing for our James. Nate and I had a chance to talk about what had happened and this time helped us both tremendously. Friends were at the hospital waiting for James to arrive. God was directing our paths and dear friends were following God's call- and our requests. James would not be at the new hospital alone and tons of people were praying for him. His teacher at Community Bible Study called his class and asked the kids to pray with a parent.
We arrived at Children's Hospital and were greeted by dear friends whom we had asked to be there so James would not be alone when he arrived. The Drs. at Children's were very upbeat about James' condition and were working quickly to take care of him. When we got into James' room I could hardly believe how good he looked. I put a pale, listless young man on a helicopter and now he was sitting up talking and smiling while the Dr. cleaned his gash. I was so amazed by the sight. My boy really was going to be OK. God had heard our prayers, and he had answered them. A miracle was happening right before my eyes! What a mighty God we serve! I was astounded. He looked nothing like he looked before he went in the helicopter.
He was given a pain killer and a vaso-constrictor and they did wonders for him. God was guiding the hands and thoughts of the Drs. The attending physician had gotten a staple gun from an operating room so they would be able to close up James' head the best way they knew how. The pooled blood creating the hematoma was able to be pushed out the gash because blood clots had not formed. The gash was about 2 1/2 inches long and above James' left ear- above where glasses would sit. God was in the process of healing James! The gash gaped open a lot, but they were able to pull it back together with the staples. It closed up beautifully!
We were so amazed that James could go home that very night! When James heard the good news, he asked if we could still have a camp fire that night. I told him that it was already 9:30pm and it was too late. To which James said, "Well, I guess we spent a couple hours at the other hospital!"
God blessed us so much through healing James. We were in our own beds about midnight that night. James slept in Marc's bed so he could call us if he needed anything. Sunday, James wanted to head back up to our camping spot so we did just that. We took it easy and enjoyed each others company. We had several fires in honor of James! He loves a good bonfire!
God's providence was so evident through this whole situation! Prayer is so powerful! Through this incident, God has taught us so much already and I'm sure we will continue to learn even more! Praise God James is going to be just fine!
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