Hope

You never expect to get a phone call that your sister fell and broke her neck. But I got one today. I had been stressing about getting my 5-mile run in at 32 degrees with darkness coming on. Talk about not important!

My dear little sister Hope was standing at the top of a pull-down attic ladder upstairs when she slipped and fell, toppling over the stair railing and landing on the bottom floor. Her family called 911 and she was taken to the hospital.

Doug, Anisa and I carpooled down there, heading to the ER to meet Mom, Kevin and Jean who were already there. Hope was in the process of being moved to ICU. Fortunately, Mom had just gotten word that her spinal cord was intact and she was able to move all the way to her toes. Thank God. What a relief. Treatment is expected to first involve traction and then probably surgery.

Eventually we got the ok to go up to the ICU waiting room, and family continued to join us. At one point there were at least 25 people there. (Well, 10 of them were her own immediate family!) Her oldest daughter/husband and grandchild from Virginia are still here from a holiday visit. A year ago they were maintaining a vigil at the hospital with their newborn, a miracle baby who is now the sweetest, most beautiful one-year-old you could ever hope to hug! And what joy it gave me to hold her again tonight.

My little sister Jean, her husband and I were finally able together to see Hope for about 10 minutes. What a heart-rending feeling to see your sister flat on her back in pain and discomfort.  But what a relief when it quickly became evident that she was her spunky self anyway. She bragged about her two youngest sons' outstanding play at their first basketball game this afternoon (Nine-year-old Branden made a shot from his knees as he fell!) I graciously informed her that she shall forever holds the title of klutziest sister and she agreed she earned it. She expressed how grateful she is that God spared her life and her spinal cord and that she is determined to praise Jesus through all that happens. That's my sister.

She was less than pleased about the loss of the clothing that the paramedics had cut off her body, especially her leather jacket. Yes, a leather jacket, callously cut apart by a heartless paramedic focused on saving her life and limb. I told her I would assign Anisa to scour second hand stores for a replacement. But what I would really like to do is have a new leather jacket waiting for her to wear home from the hospital. I will start shopping, and any donations to the Leather Jacket for Hope Fund will be gratefully accepted, and your name will be added to the card we present with the jacket! And pray that she will be leaving that hospital very soon!

With all that family out in the waiting room, though our hearts were very heavy, there was more time spent laughing and enjoying each other's company than shedding tears. Hope would appreciate that. I mean, when her blond daughter who doesn't appreciate blond jokes is sitting right there, what are people supposed to do?! I recall a few years back when we three sisters, Jean, Hope and I, were laughing uncontrollably while at the hospital bedside of Jean's infant daughter Serena,  and we feared hospital staff might consider our hilarity very uncaring of the poor sleeping baby. Hope knows that our laughter would be a sign that we honor her and that we indeed hope and believe for healing and joy in the journey.

I know lots of people love Hope and her family and are covering them in prayer. Thank you to all of you who join these prayers throughout this difficult and scary time for them. God is great.