IN THE VALLEY...part 3

October 11, 2011

When Dr. Turner told us Josh needed to be transported to BSA in Amarillo, Josh tried to talk him out of it. He had gotten to know and adore the staff at Coon Memorial Hospital and felt comfortable there. Dr Turner explained that they did not have the technology available to them to monitor Josh’s condition to the degree that he needed to be monitored.

At first we thought he was going to be transported by ambulance. Then we found out that he was in critical enough condition to warrant air transportation. Again, Josh seemed daunted by the situation. By this time, Josh had begun hallucinating and was often disoriented. He had begun hearing voices of people who were not in the room. He would doze for a few minutes and then wake up startled, and ask where everyone had gone. He was sure the room had been filled with people. He would rattle off a list of names of people he was sure had just been in the room. None of them had been there. This frustrated and confused him.

We were unsure as to whether they would allow Brian or I to fly with him, so Brian ran home, grabbed some things for a few nights stay and got on the road towards Amarillo. We did not want Josh to arrive at the hospital without one of us there. One of the nurses, Logan who had become a great friend to Josh, was off that day but had come by to see him. He assured Josh that the helicopter was the best way to go. Logan talked Josh through the whole process. By the time the helicopter arrived, Josh had warmed up to the idea of a helicopter ride.

As it turned out, they did allow me to ride in the helicopter with him. As they prepared Josh for travel, the pilot brought me outside to orientate me for the flight. As we waited outside for Josh to arrive, we sat facing the emergency room doors that he would be wheeled out of. We had been waiting for a while when all of a sudden the doors opened and a pack of people swarmed out, with Josh in the middle of the pack on his stretcher. Hospital staff, as well as dear friends, that had come to see him off, surrounded him. It warmed my heart.

Even though we were there due to rough circumstances, the ride was amazing. As we flew over the rooftops of Dalhart, it was breathtaking to see things from an aerial view. As I took in the view, I could see the skyline of Dalhart, Dumas and Amarillo all at the same time. I could see hills and valleys that I never knew were out there. It dawned on me that this is how different the Lord’s view must be from our own. He gets to see the whole picture of our lives. That thought, oddly enough, brought me great comfort.

To be continued...