In Sickness and in Health

Lindsay Adelle
Jun 25, 2017
4 min read

June 25 will always stick out in my mind. This year marks 5 years since my husband was in a horrible accident. It was 6 weeks after we were married when I got a call that my husband, Scott, had been in an accident at work and was rushed to the hospital. It's crazy how you can remember exactly where you were when you hear news like this and it brings back so many memories. 6 weeks prior we were saying our vows, not knowing that the "in sickness (injury) and in health" would be part of our near future.

Scott worked with heavy machinery, and his truck had rolled, leaving him caught beneath it. After this had happened a guy he worked with just happened to pass by and call for help immediately. The fire chief arrived very quickly and they were able to cut him out. (The fire chief we would later find out was my brother's future father-in-law!)

I remember getting supper ready and waiting for Scott to come home from work, all the while receiving a random message asking if Scott was ok. I replied to the message yes...why? And they said they thought he was in an accident but weren't sure. This already had me worried, I tried calling him with no response. That's when I received the call...

There were so many instances where you could sense God was with us and there was no other explanation possible for certain events that took place. From the way the truck was being held by the trailer so it didn't totally crush Scott, to the person (a co-worker) passing by just at the time of the accident, to the help that arrived in minutes to get him out, and the triage nurse that took the incoming emergency call that Scott was on his way to the hospital and just happened to go to the same church as Scott's family! A good friend of mine told me that when she saw this on the news, she immediately prayed for Scott not knowing it was actually him in the accident. So many instances where God's hand was in it and left me with chills!

Once he arrived at the hospital he was assessed for what felt like forever while we waited to see him. Seriously the wait felt like years. But then we were called to come see him and we were so relieved he was alive! He was cracking jokes and he told me he felt so bad that his clothes were wrecked as they had to cut them off of him. As if that was all he was worried about were his clothes!

When I saw him I almost fainted. Glass was being picked out of him and around his eyes, his eyes were completely red and his body was badly bruised and banged up. They were unsure of any broken bones and suspected a few as well as internal injuries so we had to quickly say bye to him as he was wheeled away to be further assessed.

As it turned out, and this stunned the doctors and nurses, he had no broken bones, but did have some internal injuries that needed repairing immediately. So once again we waited as he was whisked away to surgery. My sweet sister-in-law stayed with me all night at the hospital waiting and praying.

Quite a few hours later he was out of surgery. Recovery in the hospital was a little over a week and was filled with so many wonderful visitors, prayers, messages, meals, and support. My sweet friend opened her home to me so I didn't have to be alone at night and I had many sleepovers with my sister-in-law. It felt odd that I needed to be cared for when all I could think of was Scott, and for that I am so grateful for all the friends and family who showed me such great love and support.

The community of people who surrounded us was truly a gift from God. I am so so thankful for the care he received and for our family and friends who helped us so much! We learned a lot about trusting God and leaning on him for strength during each little step of recovery. After we got home from the hospital it was about 3 months of recovery and rest for Scott.

Scott with his siblings

This verse was repeatedly shared and prayed for us, and it became the "theme" of the entire journey and recovery.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5

Having no control over the circumstance, surgery, recovery, bills to be paid, was all too overwhelming. But, as hard as it is and against all human nature, it's in these sorts of times where we really learn to lean on God, give up all independance and to let go of our fears, putting our hope in Him.