(no subject)
Please pass this on to every prayer list you know. Please, please.
Yesterday, at about 2:35 p.m., our friend Travis and my husband Chad were at work. Travis was standing in the lift (a device hung from the top of a building to lower oneself up and down the building for work) about 3 stories off the ground when the cable snapped, the lever disengaged, and Travis fell to the ground in the basket. There is a metal bar on the front of the basket, and the front of his neck hit it first, likely crushed his trachea, then his head went backwards and every bone in the lower part of his skull and the upper vertebrae of his neck were broken. His face was cut on the bar from nose to lip. Chad was two buildings down, and the partner on the top of the building called Chad's cell phone. He immediately ran over and found him limp, scarcely breathing, and unconscious. Chad pulled his head backwards to let oxygen flow and to try to stop the blood from flowing into his mouth and airway. He supported his head and neck and kept it stabilized until EMS arrived.
Travis was transported to Virginia Beach General Hospital in critical condition, at the time apparently paralyzed from the neck down. Chad's parents and I got up there as fast as we could. He went into surgery immediately to stop the pressure building in his brain; they cracked his skull open for him on the right side. The next 48 hours are critical. His brain will continue to swell, and that's basically the determining factor of whether he makes it or not. He has approximately a 40% chance of survival at this point. He is currently in ICU.
Good news is, when we went to see him this morning, his mother told us he is in fact not paralyzed, praise God. When we came in to see him, he moved his right arm and shoulder. He is often responsive to stimulation, although still comatose. He has machines breathing for him, at a rapid pace, to prevent further swelling in his head. The doctors said today that apparently he sustained about ten times a harder blow then originally expected, the damage is so extensive to the back of his head and neck. He may not be the same Travis, there could be a large amount of brain damage if he pulls through.
One thought that keeps selfishly running through my mind is "Oh my God, my husband could have been in that lift...." when in fact, he was, not even 20 minutes earlier. No one really knows why the cable snapped and why his safety harness didn't engage properly. I don't know why God chose to save Chad, but I am certain that Chad saved Travis' life at the scene. If he hadn't been there, Travis would have suffocated and died within a few minutes. I have to thank Him again and again for Chad's education and firefighting/EMT training. I have never been so thankful to see my husband in one piece than I am right now, but it tears me up inside to see my buddy in that bed, and not know if he's going to live or die, and what he'll be like if he does live.
We have to be optimistic, though. Chad and I are trying to take our cue from Travis's mother. She seems like an extraordinary lady. She's a nurse (it's got to be so hard to understand exactly what he's going through) and today had a very positive outlook.
Please pray, pray, pray all you can, and please pass this on to your churches, friends, family members, whomever. He'd appreciate every second of it. God bless you all, and I'll keep you updated.