Lest Thou Should Fall

For he shall give his angels charge over

thee to keep thee in all thy ways.

They shall bear thee up in their hands...........

I received the best present for mothers day today. My son Zachary, ran his motorcycle off the road and down a deep embankment, smashing into a stump and throwing him self over the handle bars with the bike falling on top of him. He stopped a few feet from the canal that runs behind our house and at some point his helmet flew off. He rode to the hospital in the back of an ambulance with all his clothes cut off. His right wrist has a compound fracture with damage in the growth plate, his left eye is swelled shut and when the doctor pried it open it is bloody and bruised on the eye ball it's self. His chest, neck and chin have road rash, the rest of his body covered in bruises and right now as I type he has been in surgery for over two hours.

So, why was this the best mothers day present?

Because he lives. MY SON LIVES!

In a breath, I could have lost him. In fact when I look at the spot where he landed..it is only by God's grace that my son is alive let alone able to walk and talk.

The story is so full of blessing that it must be shared. Zachary had been riding alone all day. Something that will never happen again with any of my children. He decided that he didn't want to ride Andrew's smaller bike anymore, but his bigger one. Cody, overhearing him said "If you're riding that bike I am going with you..."
He tells me now "Mom, I'm glad I listened...God was telling me and if I hadn't of listened ~ we wouldn't have found him. I knew I had to go, I just didn't know why."

Every thing went fine until the return trip home and approaching a pretty sharp curve in the road, Zac, not expecting the power of the bigger bike did not slow down in time. Where he landed is unseen from the road. It would have taken a lot of precious time to simply find him if Cody had not been there.

Cody was able to reach him seconds after he hit, there was a lot of blood coming from his mouth and where the bike was on his chest, Cody feared lung damage. Running to the nearest house he called for help and Mrs. Sutton, who came out, was a nurse...... She grabbed blankets and headed for the spot.

Cody was already back there and had flagged down another car who called the ambulance. Before the ambulance could get there, however, two bikers stopped to see if they could help...they were EMT's from Rigby just out for a Sunday drive.....

Somewhere in the middle of all this someone thought to call our house, Shane left without saying a word to anyone. I realised what had happened when Andrew came in saying "Mom, I don't know where dad went but Cody and Zachary have sure been gone for a long time..." I flew out the door and jumped in the truck headed the direction I had last seen them, only to get there and remember I had left Tammy, my cerebral palsy client, at home with no adult there to watch her.

It took everything I had to tear myself away from that place, but I had to go back home, I think it helped Zachary better anyway, always the little gentleman he was so concerned about the fact that I might see his bone sticking out and he didn't want me to.

A short time later Romma came to sit with Tammy and I joined Shane at the hospital.

We prayed before they took him to surgery. Asking God to guide the doctor's hands as he repaired the damage. praying that he would give Zac comfort and peace and thanked God for this opportunity to trust him. I could barely breath as they wheeled him away for surgery and Zac said " Thanks mom, I love you...."

I had to go home and Shane stayed at the hospital, Zachary was in surgery about three and a half hours, we are told that most of this time was taken up by flushing the dirt and sticks and grime out of his arm so there would be no infection. They left two drain tubes hanging out that would have to be removed at a later time.

Monday morning, after I got Tammy and Berry(both developmentally disabled adults I care for) on the bus to their day care programs I returned to the hospital to sit with Zachary. I was amazed at how fast the swelling in his face had gone down in less than twelve hours. Though weak and tired he began wondering how long it would take for his arm to heal well enough that he could ride his bike. Holverson to the core. He was released that evening but was sent home with I.V's and the drain tubes still in place.

Tuesday, his throat was very sore from the tube they had placed in his throat while preforming the surgery. So he lived on ice cream. Later that afternoon we returned to the doctor and he pulled the drain tubes. I have never had a drain tube pulled from my body but from the sound of Zachary's screams ~ if they ever have to put one in me it will become a permanent fixture. Then we spent the next three hours at the hospital getting his I.V. changed. By the time we got home he was so wiped out and sick. He slept until noon the next day.

Wednesday afternoon I decided I was not taking him back to the hospital to remove the I.V. ~ that place is a joke and poor Zac is just not strong enough to sit there until it is convenient for them to help him. I removed it myself and he says I did alright.

He had been seen by his regular doctor and was put on an oral antibiotic and nasal spray to try to clear up a sinus issue that the cat scan picked up in the ER room.

Later that night he made a statement that caused no little stir around the house. "Everybody! I used the bathroom all by my self!!!" A sure sign that he is on the road to recovery.

He has many more Dr. appointments in the days ahead, including a small surgery in about 6 weeks to remove the pins in his wrist but my son is doing far better than I could have ever hoped for.

When Zachary was born we named him Zachary Dean. In his book is written...

Zachary

Hebrew: remembered by God

Your name was give to you as a reminder that God's eyes are always upon thee. He sees and will forever protect. Walk boldly before him.

Dean

Hebrew: A valley

This name was chosen by your father, drawn from a dear friend in his childhood. "Uncle" Dean was very caring and kind.

Remember you are seen of God even in the valleys and the God who see sees will never fail to uphold.

His life verse was given as Psalm 118:6,10

The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?

All nations compassed me about: but in the name of the Lord will I destroy them...

Praise God! Praise God, that he not only sees in the valley but that he also sees along a brier filled canal bank where no one else would have been able to...