Heaven is Just a Prayer Away - Ethan's Story by Christy Skousen

Life is most certainly full of curve balls. One second you’re headed smoothly down your intended path, and the next minute you are soaring into an abyss of unplanned and uncharted territory. December 6, 2016 was a day just like this. Well, let me back up a bit. A month prior to this date, we had travelled down to the valley to support the Redskins’ varsity football team for their first playoff game. In Mesa, on Sunday, November 6, 2016, 30 minutes before we planned to head home, my daughter, Faith, broke her arm while attempting to beat her brother, Ethan, in a wrestling match. She tried to best him at his game. She lost. Three days in the hospital and an emergency surgery to reset her elbow with pins later, we were headed back up the mountain. After returning home, we were able to iron out the wrinkles of the weekend well enough, and we were back to our normal (crazy) life. 

Now, back to Tuesday, December 6, 2016. Faith was scheduled to have her pins removed at Cardon Children’s Hospital in Mesa. Scott and I had planned an insanely crazy day. I don’t typically accompany him on these types of trips, but today was an exception. You know, when you live in St. Johns, you have to make the most out of a trip to the Valley. We were to leave at 6 am. At 10 am we were to pick up some Christmas presents we had purchased, at 10:30 Scott dropped me off at my hair appointment, ran to Sam’s Club for a few things, and then took Faith to have her cast and pins removed. At 12:30, Scott dropped Faith off at my mother’s house and headed to meet his brothers in Maricopa to give his father, who had been ill, a blessing. Faith, my mom, and my sister met me at the hairdressers and we headed to lunch for my mother’s birthday.  Everything was working out as planned! So far, the day had gone off without a hitch.

On the home front things seemed to be going well, too! We had left Conner in charge, and he had it under control. He had a list of the “to and froms” that were necessary for everyone else to accomplish their tasks for the day and a list of emergency contacts “just in case.” Around 2 pm I received a phone call asking for permission for Ethan to accompany a friend to the rock quarry. My immediate response was, “Yes, of course!” You see, Ethan is our wild card. In a matter of speaking, he constantly mixes up the fruit basket at our house. You just never know how things are going to turn out when he’s around. I knew that being cooped up all day with his little sisters could be potentially disastrous. Remember, it was because of his helpfulness that we were headed to the Valley in the first place (Sister…wrestling…broken arm).  

After lunch, Faith and I headed back to my mom’s house to wait for Scott. Our appointed departure time was 3 pm. We had to get on the road to be back in St. Johns by 6:30 pm for Hope’s dance performance, and even that was pushing it. As we were making preparations to leave, I received a phone call. Ethan had fallen… he hit his head… the ambulance was on its way… MY HEART STOPPED. In situations like this I tend to downplay the seriousness of what has happened. For some reason this time, I couldn’t shake the uneasiness I felt inside.  Maybe it was because I was almost 4 hours away, and I was relying on others to care for my son until I returned, maybe it was the quiet whisper in my head that told me something was really wrong, maybe it was both. There is something terribly unnerving that happens to a parent when they feel like they cannot do anything to help their child. As I stood in my mother’s kitchen, I mentally grasped for things I knew to be true. Truth #1- God loves each of us. He loves Ethan, and He loves me. Truth #2- God has a plan for each of us. No matter what happens, God will give us the strength to be endure this trial if we accept His will. Truth #3- I can access God’s help through prayer. After taking a very long and deep breath, I issued a silent prayer. I asked God to send angels to bless and help Ethan and those who were assisting him. I prayed for peace and comfort; I prayed that I might be able to hold it together until I was able to get to him. Scott returned to my mom’s house a few minutes later, I explained the situation to him, and we were off. 

As we approached Fountain Hills, Scott asked me to call and find out if there was any more information available because soon the cell phone reception would be spotty at best. Luckily, we were able to make contact and found out that Ethan was going to be flown to Phoenix Children’s Hospital. We were also told that he had received a Priesthood blessing before being loaded into the helicopter. The helicopter medic explained that Ethan had fallen approximately 35-40 feet, had a laceration on his head that had bled profusely, that he had lost consciousness, and that when he came to, he had remained in a semi-conscious state. We also knew, that as a precautionary measure, the emergency response team sedated and then intubated him.  We immediately turned around and headed back to my parents’ house. 

After dropping Faith off with my mom, Scott, my Dad, and I climbed back into the car to head to the hospital, where we met my brother. After registering Ethan, the four of us were ushered into a little waiting room. I remember feeling grateful that I was surrounded by the most important men in my life. They are my rocks. A nurse entered the room and explained that Ethan had arrived and asked Scott and I to follow her. We exited the waiting room as Ethan was being wheeled passed us on the stretcher. He was pale. The emergency room nurse was squeezing the respirator that was sending oxygen into his lungs. He was wrapped in a foil blanket to keep warm. We entered the emergency trauma unit together. Approximately 30 doctors and resident doctors were in the room. 10 of them surrounded Ethan. The head ER doctor started shouting out orders and diagnoses that I didn’t understand.  I heard level one trauma… right side not responding… chest x-ray stat! These people worked together like a well-oiled machine.  I stood back in amazement. 10 minutes later we were following them into the room where he was to receive a CAT scan. The results would tell us if he needed emergency brain surgery.

By this time a whole new army of angels had stepped up to help our family, the good people in our little town of St. Johns, AZ! A multitude of prayers were being offered in our behalf. People were organizing and taking action. The girls had been picked up and fed. Hope’s hair was done, she was dressed like a princess, and taken to her performance. Dinner was brought in, our floors were mopped, the dishes were cleaned, and the pantry was stocked. We received calls and texts from numerous well-wishers. The outpouring was overwhelming and humbling. 

Ethan’s scan showed a skull fracture and a brain bleed also known as a hematoma. The epidural hematoma was on the borderline. If much more blood pooled inside his head, it would require brain surgery to drain it. Another scan was ordered to be completed 3 hours later. They stapled his laceration closed and sent us up to the intensive care unit. Ethan was still heavily sedated, and we still had no idea what the extent of his injuries were, but he had been responsive, (not verbally because he was still intubated) he had blinked his eyes and squeezed our hands to answer questions.  

The second scan showed a little more bleeding but not enough to require emergency surgery. The neurologists ordered another follow up scan for the following evening. The intensive care nurse was given orders to extubate Ethan which we were really excited about. Being able to breathe on his own meant that that hospital staff could start to wean him off all of the drugs they were administering. With less drugs in his system, the possibility that he would be more awake and aware was higher.  We were hoping that he would be able to tell us what happened. Unfortunately, (or fortunately depending how you look at it) he couldn’t recall anything that had happened just prior to his fall or anything that had happened to that point. The good news is that he could remember all other facts and miscellaneous information about his past. His brain was functioning properly! Prayers were being answered. 

The next day he awoke severely nauseous; every time he was moved, even the slightest bit, he vomited.  He was extremely sleepy and preferred to just be left alone. (Not that I blame him, he had been poked and prodded all night out of necessity). He hadn’t needed any pain medication since 10 pm and remained at about a 2 out of 10 on the pain scale, although he did complain of a headache when asked. The hospital staff continued to monitor him in the ICU for the duration of the day. 

As Ethan rested, I had the opportunity to process all that had taken place. Ethan’s fall wasn’t fatal. He was administered to at the sight of the accident by two worthy Priesthood holders that on all accounts should not have even been at the scene. They both work desk jobs for the Sheriff’s Department.  Angels on both sides of the veil were busily working for the benefit and betterment of my family. The six children that were alone in St. Johns, weren’t really alone. Earthly angels were attending to their needs. They were having a great time. In fact, they were being so well taken care of in our absence that when I called to visit with them they were so excited to tell me about all of the fun things they were doing that I hardly got a word in edgewise. According to the neurologists, Ethan’s head injury was in the perfect location. Had it been even an inch lower, they would have had to operate immediately, and the outcome of brain surgery is sketchy at best. The doctors emphasized that you just never know what the long term side effects will be when you are working with the brain. From all angles, it truly was a miracle that Ethan hadn’t been hurt worse.  Truth #4- Jesus is a God of Miracles! Ethan is proof that God honors the prayers of His people. I know that our journey had been blessed because of the cumulative prayers that had been uttered on his behalf. Our family and the good people of St. Johns provided the vehicle that accessed God’s power. To say that I was humbled by this outpouring in our behalf is a severe understatement.  Feeling completely in awe and overwhelmed by love, I wept. Truth #5- We were never expected to go through the trials of life alone. The collected faith of others will strengthen and lift you in your time of need. Words of comfort came flooding into my mind, “Those that are with you are more than those that are against you.”

Ethan awoke with a nasty headache the following morning. The MRI taken the night before showed extreme bruising of the brain but that the bleeding had stopped. He was diagnosed with a severe concussion which was causing his massive headache. We were also told that brain injuries often peak two days after the incident. So far though, with the exception of an angry headache, he performed well on all of his cognitive tests. Both sides of his body were responding normally. They decided that they could move him to a normal hospital room and continue to monitor him there. After getting settled in his new hospital room, we ordered him lunch which he ate and kept down. It was the first meal he had eaten in 48 hours. Because of all of the nausea, he had had no desire to eat.  His doctors assured us that if he could eat and drink, keep the food down that he consumed, and show that he could walk around without becoming too weary or dizzy, they would release him the following day. 

Ethan passed his physical therapy test. He was able to do everything that the doctor needed to see. He completed balance exercises, walked halls, and climbed stairs. It wore him out, though, and he slept for three hours afterwards. The next day the occupational therapist came in to make sure that Ethan could perform daily tasks normally. He had to show that he could dress and feed himself and use the bathroom on his own.  Thankfully, he didn’t struggle with any of these things. The final assessment he had to complete was to be given by the speech therapist. He had to read and answer questions both written and orally. They needed to assess his ability to process information. The speech pathologist explained that often after brain trauma thinking can become cumbersome. Thankfully, Ethan didn’t show any reason for concern. (Other than instead of naming pets and farm animals, he named all of the creatures in the sea).  After she left, Ethan took another long nap. He was still unable to do any activity for long lengths of time, but that was to be expected. At his release from the hospital the neurologist explained to him that his head was broken and, just like having a broken leg, he has to let it heal.  6-8 weeks of very limited activity were the doctor’s orders. We are so grateful, though, that it looks like he will have no residual side effects from his tumble. 

I know that the prayers that have been rendered in his behalf have made all of the difference. I have never in my life felt so strongly the presence and power of unseen hands healing, lifting, and blessing anyone. If the veil had been lifted for even a second, I know that I would have seen Ethan surrounded by angels. I love the song by Hillary Weeks that says, “I did what I could, I said a prayer.” I could never appropriately express my gratitude to all those that helped bring to pass this miracle. Thank you!! Thank you for helping me remember that 1. God loves each of us. 2. God has a plan for each of us. 3. I can access Gods help through prayer. 4. Jesus is a God of miracles! And 5. We are never expected to go through the trials of life alone. The collected faith of others will strengthen and lift you in your time of need.

Some people live in places where those around them are indifferent. They neither know nor care for their neighbors. We have been blessed to live in a tight knit community. One that has shown love for and rendered help to those in need. I am grateful to call this little town of “Friendly Neighbors” my home.