Friday, February 24, 2017

Flashback Friday: Witnessing a Miracle

            **It's the last Friday of the month, which means it's time for Flashback Friday. Participants repost an old post that needed more attention, that you're very proud of, that you think is still relevant, etc. It was hosted by Michael G D'Agostino, but he has opted out. You can still find a list of previous and current participants on his blog. It has now been two years since the accident I mentioned in this post and Victoria's progress continues to astound me.**
 
 
Witnessing a Miracle (previously posted February 25, 2016)

“Pray without ceasing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (KJV)


Victoria, Sam, Aleigh and Lucas with their parents and grandparents
 
            This past Sunday, February 21, 2016 marked one year since Victoria Turner, two of her siblings, and her maternal grandparents were in a terrible car accident. Today Victoria, or Tori, as she’s often called, is a living, breathing miracle. I have shared her story before, but I haven’t given an update for a while. So, I thought I would share my own personal reflections of those months last year.
On February 14, 2015, I had the privilege of babysitting my friend’s three precious children while she was with her husband at our church’s sweetheart banquet. I absolutely adore her kids and consider them like family. One week later, late in the evening, those three children were in a terrible car accident with their maternal grandparents. The middle daughter, Aleigh, and grandparents were fine (which was a miracle in and of itself), but the oldest son, Samuel, and youngest daughter, Victoria, were critically injured. Samuel had a fractured ankle and pelvis and Victoria had multiple skull fractures and brain injuries; they didn’t think she was going to make it. When I heard the news the following morning at church I was struck with such a sense of hopelessness and concern. I had just held Tori and read to her the previous week, what was I to do? There wasn’t anything I could do except pray. So that is what I and my church did.     
Samuel was released within a couple weeks, but Victoria took a turn for the worst. She got pneumonia due to her weakened immune system, and had to be put on life support. So, in the weeks following we continued to pray for this precious two-year-old. There were so many ups and downs during those critical weeks when many people, including myself, checked the Facebook page repeatedly throughout the day hoping for good news. Eventually, the miracle we were praying for came and Victoria survived! After months of therapy, a transfer to a hospital closer to home, and slowly being weaned off the oxygen support, Tori was finally able to return home in June. One of many amazing things about all of this is that during her time on life support, the doctors were not able to treat her skull fractures, but when they finally took an x-ray they found that the fractures had healed on their own and no additional surgery was necessary.
This picture was taken the day I went with Victoria, her mom and little brother to her check-up
 
She is still undergoing speech therapy, but she communicates her needs fairly well with her limited vocabulary. I have had some opportunities to observe her at play, I even got to let her sit in my lap and read to her again, and I think she seems just as bright and eager to learn as ever. I was watching her run and play with another three-year-old at church the other day and every time she laughed or smiled I was reminded of what a miracle and a testimony her young life has already been to so many people.
My church was strengthened in prayer during that time. We came together as one body and the power of prayer was shown in a way that most of us will never forget. And we were not alone. The church has somewhere between 200 and 300 members, but the Pray for Tori and Sam Facebook page has over 9000 likes. It amazes me that so many people beyond our church were willing to pray and show support for Victoria and her family, and all of those lives were impacted by this tragedy. Prayer is powerful, but things may not always turn out the way we want them to. Even if things had gone the other way with Tori, her parents said they would still believe that God works out the good in all things. Of course, it is better to always be in prayer, whether we are in the midst of disaster or delight, but as incomplete works in progress, we probably lapse in our prayer time once in a while, especially if things are going smoothly.  Just remember that God is always just a prayer away and He wants to hear all of your needs, your desires, your worries, your fears, your praise, and your worship.

 
 
 
You can find more information about Victoria's journey on the Pray for Tori and Sam Facebook page, and the pictures I shared in this post are from that page.

10 comments:

  1. Amen! A miracle indeed. She looks like a happy and healthy child now.

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  2. Wow! What a great testimony as to the power of prayer. Good to hear of the turn around.

    Arlee Bird
    Tossing It Out


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  3. The brain is an amazing organ. It finds new pathways when old ones are damaged. And especially with one so young, I'm sure as she gets older she'll barely notice the difference. What a miracle.

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  4. I remember reading this when you shared it before :) There is so much power in prayer (and it is often the "last thing" we think about doing, as in "maybe I should pray about this" when it should be the first thing we automatically go to). Such a power testimony of the prayers of the righteous being answered :) Our God is an amazing God in how he can heal, restore, redeem.

    betty

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  5. Children are springy and buoyant. Victoria will bounce back gain strength from her experience as she gets older and learns how to talk again.

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  6. What an adorable child and what a wonderful outcome.

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  7. Thank you everyone! Victoria is a sweet little girl, although her older two siblings may not always agree. Every time I see her at church, I can't help but think of her amazing story, especially around the anniversary of the accident. That is why I reshared this post this month. Here's a little update: She holds her own quite well, she can even ride a horse by herself. The only noticeable problem is her speech, which I still believe she will improve over time. And she has no problem communicating what she wants! She has a great personality and she still likes to read with me when I visit, except now she tells me the story :)

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  8. This was so refreshing to read! The power of community, grace and prayer. So glad I stopped by on my road trip with FlashBack Friday. Mary Lou
    https://meinthemiddlewrites.com/2017/02/24/me-in-the-middle-revisiting-the-president-post-flashback/

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  9. She is a miracle. A sweet, beautiful little girl. I'm glad she's having fun and is a blessing for so many.

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  10. What an inspiring story! She seems like a real fighter.

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