My family faces another challenge tonight and I ask you all for your prayers at this time.

My cousin Travis was hit by a drunk driver last night. He is alive...but unfortunatly not well. The initial report I was given this morning was a TBI. All I could do was sink to my knees and start crying to Heavenly Father. So many hard memories flooded my mind. My mom's sweet siblings were right next to us for the entire time my mom was in the hospital. How could they make it through this again, how could they watch one of their own children go throught it? How would my family be able to survive this again? What would be the extent of the damage? How would it all turn out?

Almost as soon as I pulled myself off the floor Karl called me from the hospital. His brain is fine. No damage to it. Such a huge blessing. He had the same neurosurgeon my mom did. He is a fabulous doctor.

Every bone in his face is broken...better put, crushed. His pallet and his left eye were the doctors biggest concerns. His pallet is "mush" and they are worried that if it is not repaired correctly it will rot and leave a hole from his mouth to his nose. He will loose his left eye. The retina is completly out of his eye. They are worried about his right eye and are unsure if it will heal. He was taken into surgery last night. After three hours of surgery the doctors decided the damage was beyond their skills. They flew him to the University hospital in Salt Lake City (200 miles from here).

My mom and I arrived at the hospital just before they prepared him for the flight. Oh the memories my family has in that ICU...they are hard ones to relive. Stepping off that elevator onto the second floor, turning left and picking up the phone to call the ICU to have the doors opened for us. That routine is all to familiar. And the smell...it hits you like a ton of bricks. Smell is definatly the longest lasting memory. Looking into the chapel window where we have spent so many hours together as a a family. Praying and crying. Hoping and fearing. Not just for my mom but for my cousin Troy who we lost two and a half years ago.

Seeing someone you love laying so still, monitors beeping, cords everywhere and having one sided conversations is so so hard.

They are keeping him unconscious and he has a trach. They could not intubate him due to the damage. When they moved him from his bed to the stretcher he started moving around. As much as you want them to not be in pain it is a relief to see them move and respond to things. It was three weeks before my mom did that. He listened to my aunts talk to him and calmed down when he was asked to.

They are planning a twelve hour surgery tomorrow. We are sketchy on the details but it is something on his nose to keep it from collapsing. They are going to pull all of his teeth and wire his jaw shut. And I would assume they will be doing something with his left eye.

He has a very long recovery ahead of him with multiple surgeries. Our family will be fasting this weekend, focusing on Travis being able to have sight in his right eye.

Life is unpredictable and fragile. Travis was hanging out at my house yesterday, playing on facebook, letting Karter talk his ear off. I took a second look at him as he was walking out to his car, taking a drink of his soda. I thought..."He looks happy. Must be the sunshine."


Thank heavens for prayer and the ability to cry. They are amazing things and the best emotional outlet there is. There is nothing so humbling as getting on your knees and crying as you pour your heart out to a loving Heavenly Father.