Saturday, October 10, 2009

So Very Thankful!!!

It's hard to know what to say about a plane crash where everyone is okay, except that I am so very thankful!!! It is frightening to even consider what might have happened, and when you look at the pictures it seems pretty amazing that everyone got out alive!

We were already on our way to Mom and Dad's when Brynna called... We knew that they (my Dad, Brynna, and Bill) were flying in that afternoon and so when she called I asked her if they were already home! Then she told me that they had been in a plane wreck and that Dad was in the hospital, but okay... They didn't know how badly he was hurt and she didn't know if they were going to stay at the Prineville hospital or move him to Bend, yet... It turned out that they moved him to Bend and we learned that he had broken his back.

We didn't go in to see him that night, but when we went in on Saturday he looked pretty bad... They hadn't really gotten his pain under control and he couldn't move without hurting. It's so awful to see those you love in pain and there is nothing you can do to ease it! The days kind of blur together, but I think it was that night that he found out he had pneumonia and the flu... It was around the time that his lung collapsed that they sent him down to the ICU. He spent a night there and once the lung and pneumonia was better under control he was moved back upstairs.

They finally got the MRI and he had fractured L1, L3, and L4 so he was scheduled for kyphoplasty surgery. In case you are wondering about kyphoplasy check out the link... It sounds pretty cool if you ask me!! After the surgery Dad felt a ton better and he came home two days later! He is doing really well!

We are so thankful that everyone is okay and it's amazing to me that it sometimes takes these events in our lives to make us realize just how fragile we are! In a moment things could have been so very different, but I'm thankful we can talk about this as an eventful story and not a tragic event! Makes me want to value those around me, and remember that we truly are not our own!




The pictures from the crash!


Brynna and Bill were sitting in front... The yellow is where Dad's feet are



If I remember correctly this is the engine...


Hugging a tree...





Some hunters heard the plane engine die and then heard the crash... They were there within 10-15 minutes... One was a paramedic, which was very helpful, not that he could do much in the situation, but at least he was calm and knew what to check for!





















6 comments:

  1. Shana - SO sorry to hear about the crash, and glad everyone is okay. I've had many kyphoplasty patients and it is amazing to see the immediate pain relief and improved function! That's wonderful your dad was able to come home so soon, after all of his complications.

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  2. That is the overwhelming feeling alright....we are all so very thankful! Glad you were able to be right there. Love you

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  3. So glad to hear everyone is doing better! Hearing what happened definitely made me appreciate my loved ones more! So scary!!

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  4. i can ONLY imagine all the roller coaster of emotions that have been felt this past week & understandably- gratitude is on the top of the list. i think we're all pretty hyper aware that God had a definite hand in this experience, and one can only feel humbled & sooo sooo thankful that we have a father who looks out for us & our loved ones like this! we are sooooo glad everything is turning out ok, all is well that ends well right??? wow. so scary tho! the pix are super eerie. thinking of you all- & thanks for the update- always good to hear updates, especially ones that are good news regarding a recovery! =) so glad you've been able to be there, all of you togther. what a way to remember mr. westley's first days huh

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  5. Appreciated all you shared in pictures and your thoughts...our thoughts and prayers were certainly there with you all. Liked what you said in the paragraph before the pictures about your thankfulness but also the realization that things could have been so different and how small we really are in the whole scheme of things. But that all turned out amazingly well...it's truly amazing and a miracle. So glad you could be there with them. Not what you expected to come home to, but what perfect timing!

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  6. Shana...thanks for sharing. We hope it continues to go well for your Dad.

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