The Day That Changed My Life Forever!

I’d like to share a story with you. It’s about the day that changed my life forever! A day, no matter how hard I try, I will never forget! On July 21, 2008 my 8 yr old little girl, Laken Brooke, was in a golf cart accident. I’m going to take you on a trip down “my” memory lane. It was summer and the kids were out of school. Our girls stayed with my husbands mother while we were at work each day. I was nursing and my husband was coaching.  Monday evening (July 21, 2008) was a normal day of work…we came home and went to pick up our girls. (His mom & dad had moved in with his grandmother who had Alzheimers to take care of her. Her house was at the top of the hill and then our house just below it and his parents house on the other side of us)  Alan’s mother had cooked supper for us so we all ate. After we ate, I played a video game with Laken…it was one of the old “plug and play” games and we were playing “mouse trap”.  After that, Laken was ready to go home. She asked me if she could go on home on the golf cart. Our house was just down the hill  maybe a couple hundred feet. I told her no to just wait that we were all about to leave. I was helping clean the kitchen and washing dishes and Laken asked a couple more times, but I gave her the same answer each time she asked. Then she asked if she could PLEASE just go check the mail on the golf cart and come right back. I said yes but to come right back. About 5 min later she still wasn’t back and so I looked out the door across the hill onto our carport where we kept the golf cart parked thinking she may have gone on home. I couldn’t see the golf cart parked there. I expressed my concern to my husband and he said ok I’ll go ahead and leave and check on her. I told him I was done with the kitchen and would be right behind him.  She had been gone less than 10 minutes when he left.  Just a couple minutes after, I left with our 7 yr old daughter, Logan, in my lap “driving” (which she loved to do on our family road).  We made the circle drive and had just topped the hill when I saw my husbands jeep at the bottom of the hill which began backing up the hill and was coming towards us.  At first I thought he was just playing around with us as I joked with Logan and said…what in the world is that daddy doing now?  But within seconds, I knew different.  Halfway up the hill, going backwards, he stopped the jeep and jumped out and was waving to me to come over there.  Just the look on his face alone, gave me an awful gut feeling.  I jumped out of my car and noticed that Alan’s mother had pulled up behind me as she was headed to her house to get a few things.  I just knew something was wrong, so I sent Logan to her car and yelled at his mom to keep her there.  I then ran towards Alan and saw the golf cart flipped over on the side of the road and he was holding Laken in his arms.  When I got there, he told me to get in the backseat and he handed her to me.  Let me paint the picture as best as I can for you of the memory that is still so vivid to me.  My baby was unconscious & unresponsive.  As I held her little body, it felt cool and limp.  Her eyes were open but rolled back in her head.  Her lips were SO blue.  I immediately felt for a pulse and discovered that she still had a faint carotid pulse.  She wasn’t breathing, but she was gurgling.  In that moment I wasn’t sure what to do.  I was in a state of shock!  My nursing instincts had me trying to decide if I should do CPR…which I decided against because I was worried that she could’ve aspirated since we had just finished eating.  My motherly instincts just wanted to help my baby “somehow”.   Lacey’s grandmother had just pulled up in our driveway nearby  to drop Lacey off at our house when Alan yelled for her to call 911.  I started hollering at him from the back seat to go.  He asked if we should wait for the ambulance since she had just called 911 or should we just take her to the hospital ourselves.  I said I don’t know…just go!  Then I said  we can just flag them down if we meet up with them.  Our church is a mile from our home and as we were approaching it, we saw the ambulance headed our way.  Alan put his hand out the window and flagged them down.  We pulled over and got out and they took Laken from me as they asked what had happened.  They laid her on the asphalt and began to perform CPR and bag her.  They said they needed to get her to the hospital so they loaded her into the ambulance.  I began to cry hysterically as they loaded my baby into the back of the ambulance.  I told the ambulance driver I was going with her. At first they said no but I insisted so they said I could ride up front with the driver if I could calm down.  I agreed and told my husband to call my mother as I climbed into the ambulance.  He asked if I was sure that I wanted him to call her since she was on vacation in Alaska…I repeated myself loudly with pain and frustration in my voice…”call my mother!!!”

We later discovered that the wheel had came off the golf cart when Laken was going downhill on the way back from the mailbox.  It had caused it to turn over and land on top of her.  Alan said he could see her head and he immediately picked the golf cart up and threw it off of her and gave her a few breaths before putting her in the backseat & backing up to come get me. And if you know my husband then you are probably doubting the fact that he lifted and threw a golf cart anywhere!  He’s not weak, but he doesn’t work out and isn’t a big man.  You know, we hear about people having supernatural strength when confronted with danger due to a rush of adrenaline…this definitely happened….this and some added strength from the Lord.  In the midst of this tragedy and nightmare that was unfolding right before my eyes,  I held tight to my Savior.  I knew He was with me and would never leave me.  The Bible says in Deuteronomy 31:8 The LORD Himself goes before you and will be with you;  He will never leave you nor forsake you.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.  And in Isaiah 41:10  So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you;  I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.   Psalm 120:1 In my distress I cried to the Lord, and He heard me.  It’s difficult to explain all that I was feeling in the middle of this tragic event.  All that was going through my mind was that my baby was unconscious and I didn’t know how long she had been this way, how long she would stay this way, would she ever wake again, was she in pain, was she scared or calling for us when it happened….and about a billion more thoughts racing through my mind!!!  Was I scared?  Yes, but I knew that I had to keep my faith in God and just trust Him to give me the strength and to provide me with the comfort that I so desperately needed and that only He could provide.   Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  Psalm 23:4  Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and staff they comfort me.   Psalm 119:76  Now let your unfailing love comfort me, just as you promised me, your servant.          2 Corinthians 1:3  “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort.”   All of these verses and many more in the Bible gives us the reassurance that He will be and He will do all of these things for us.  This is not all of the story obviously, but I am going to have to stop here.  There is just so much….I’m sure it’ll take several posts to get it all in.  Not only is it a lot of information, but it is mentally and emotionally exhausting to talk/write about.  My life hasn’t been the same since that day…and it never will be!