God Answers Prayers!

(My mom, Dr. Swenning, and Peggy-a solid friend throughout)

On Labor Day in 2005, my mom and Ron, her husband of almost 22 years, were returning home from a dinner date with friends. Ron was a motorcycle lover and had just purchased a shiny red Honda Gold wing that looked something like this.

He was proud of it and wanted to take it to dinner - gas prices were over $4.00 per gallon at the time and the weather was nice.

On the way home, only a few short blocks from their house, they were rounding the corner and hit by a car.

The driver had no driver's license because he had too many DUI's. On this day, he was driving, unlicensed, in a car that was not his, and it was not insured. It is likely that he was under the influence as well, although not notated on the accident report.

What he was arrested for was hit and run.

He fled, probably terrified.

A young couple witnessed the accident, got out of their car and stayed with my mom and Ron until the ambulance came. They followed the ambulance to the hospital to deliver the personal items that they picked up off of the street.

The next morning, my mom was in a 10 hour surgery to save what she called her "broken leg".

Her trauma surgeon called it "pulverized."

He did save her leg, but did not think she would walk again.

Ron's broken ankle was fixed, but his heart was still sick and he died on the way to the recovery room after surgery.

The road has been long and hard for my mom. She has had so many surgeries that she sometimes calls me and asks, "How many and when?"

I can't answer. I don't remember either. (I guess we should write them down)

Thinking back to that day, I drove to Tulsa from Dallas, with a map, because I had only lived in Dallas 6 weeks when I got the phone call that the accident had occurred.

My plan was to be there for two days, but it ended up being almost two months.

I watched my mom work harder than I have ever seen anyone work.

Every time she had to be moved, I cringed and I was thrilled when she got up with a walker and took a step.

The bright spot in all of this was her trauma surgeon,
Dr. Swenning.

He was kind and informative.

And without a doubt, he saved her leg in that 10 hour surgery when most surgeons would have deemed it hopeless and amputated.

Every time she asked if she could walk, or do this or that, his response was always,

"Mary Ann, we have already won the lottery. Let's just see how it goes."

He never would tell her outright (that I know of) that she would not walk, and he never discouraged her desire to do so, but one could tell that he didn't find it likely.

Yesterday,

he declared her "healed"!

No more surgeries
(unless she elects to in the future...a knee replacement)

The hardware will stay put unless problems arise.

And she can do whatever she feels comfortable doing.

In June, she danced! And I was there to witness it.

We took a photo and she gave it to Dr. Swenning yesterday!

And even though we will miss seeing him regularly (we really grew to like him, plus we did nickname him, "Dr. Dreamy" - for reason's you can figure out on your own!)

My mom has been prayed for for almost 4 years. Every time the bone would crumble inside of her leg (this happened more than once)...more prayers would be prayed.

And God answered.

The bone seems to be healed. (we will never know for sure unless she has another surgery)

And she can walk.

She can dance!

And I rejoice!!!

Publish Post

My mom has kept her own diary on her blog, Observations.