Reckless Love, Austin’s Progress.

It’s Friday morning.

I woke up today, awash with emotion. Completely overwhelmed over the fact that I can still (gently) hold my dear son.

The more I process this, the more I realize just how much Austin was spared.

Eyewitnesses told our boys that when they came on the scene, they thought he was gone. So much blood loss, so much trauma. Impossible to survive under that weight, and yet, do we not serve a God of the impossibilities?

I am so, so humbled.

Forgive my scattered thoughts, but God is just so good to us.

He saved our son. He SAVED his life! Plucked him from beneath where he was pinned, and saved him. I don’t even know how he didn’t sustain worse injury. No idea. Yes, he’s broken. But he’s healing already. No head injuries. His heart is fine. His internal organs didn’t get crushed. Just how?

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This song keeps playing in my head. It’s not even my type of music, or a song that’s on my top ten list. But today? It’s Austin’s song.

Austin is too drowsy and mentally shattered to comprehend yet. But I believe someday he will. God saved him because He cares so much for him. And I am going to just say selfishly that He cares that much for me too–He saved our son for us. To give us a picture of His Father’s heart for His children.

Here are the words

I cannot remember a time when I’ve ever felt so in awe of our God’s protection. When Austin was nine, he had a terrible accident and we saw God’s mercy unfold over Austin then. That became a story to tell, but a blip in the road for our son in the scheme of life. He wrote that story recently and I reprinted it here a little while back. You would be blessed to hear his own words. The Day I Lost My Finger

The overwhelming, undeserving reckless love of God.

Austin is on a journey. God saw fit to rescue him again. God is not done with our boy. He goes after him, and gives him so much evidence of His care.

I am just so grateful.

When our family has eyewitnesses telling them they thought Austin was already dead, and multiple times through that terrible afternoon, I just felt shaken afresh. But not in a bad way this time. In a humbled way, that brings me to just say, “You’ve got this, God.” What more can I say?

I know you’re here for the update.

I started typing it out yesterday, and we had many blessed interruptions.

I’m going to do all future updates here. I will link these posts to Facebook and my group chat, but when I type on my blog, it feels like I can write. When it’s in a text, it feels more, well, like a text, and I express myself differently.

The beginning here is what I actually started to compose as a text.

Thursday–the rest of the day

Thursday evening.

Austin’s had a taxing day.

He spent most of it sleeping and resting.

He has no desire for food.

We tried some smoothie drink but he took a small amount and became very nauseated and had to be medicated.

Austin had several visitors. One of his academy friends stayed and visited for awhile, which Austin enjoyed. He wasn’t able to interact as much as he would have liked, as he tires so easily, but he appreciated his friend coming. It literally lit up his day and he visibly perked up.

I was doing some needed errands while his friend Austin visited with Austin (not a typo), and when I came back, I was delighted to find out that they’d removed his second chest tube. Praise be to God!

Also–Austin was completely worn out. He could not keep his eyes open, or even communicate with me, even though I knew he wasn’t asleep. He was just sapped.

Seeing how tired he was, and knowing that his brothers and another good friend were actually just arriving from out of town, I asked him if he was up to a visit with them. He actually slightly shook his head in the negative, but looked tormented about it. I asked him if they could just come to say hi and not stay, and he nodded. I knew his brothers did need to see him.

Somehow, with the sight of Andrew and Adam, Austin perked up enough to instruct Andrew on updating some of his social media accounts. Austin hasn’t had the energy, but he wanted to connect with his friends.

His friends and their mom also snuck in right before visiting hours closed to say hi and pray with Austin. Our boys and Malachi booked it down to the parking garage and back up to Austin’s room to bring him some requested Dasani water (the hospital tap water just isn’t cutting it). I was reminded of David’s mighty men risking everything to get him a drink from the well at Bethlehem (see–I was listening at Sabbath at church), although these boys just had to risk the medical staff to sneak in the water after visiting hours. 😉

How about this shot of our cowboy? ❤️ 🤠 ❤️‍🩹

Austin has some stuff going on still. I think I mentioned the nerve damage and pain in his right arm. He’s got some bladder issues that they’re working on. But the muscle spasms are under control after they found an electrolyte imbalance and are treating him to correct that.

He’s drowsy because of the meds, but I suspect he’s drowsy from the collective process of what he’s been through. He is emotionally drained, and I’d urge you to pray for his emotional health long term. This was a traumatic experience for him. His body is just exhausted. That he even can go along with them moving him, trying to cough dutifully against extreme pain, and just keep trying is amazing to me.

He speaks well of his medical team. He knows they have his back. I have been impressed with the nurses and aides–they get the job done, but so it with compassion and gentleness. They are knowledgeable and most don’t mind my prodding mom questions.

God is so, so kind to us.

Keep praying. As each day unfolds, the landscape changes. I expect they’ll want to move Austin out of the Trauma-Surgical ICU soon to make room for someone else. I hate that, because I like the low nurse-to-pt ratio, but it’ll be ok.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support. Each comment on Facebook, texts, Instagram, and here, wherever…I can’t respond, but I read each one and my heart is lifted.

Thank you, Readers,

Thank You, God!

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