Unexpected Moments…

Today, I will be sharing with you my story….

So many important things happened in my life back in the year 2000. I graduated high school. I started my freshman year at Arizona State University. And I also learned the true importance of family.

While walking to my car one Friday afternoon during my first semester, I was surprised to find my aunt waiting by my car. She was in tears, so I immediately knew something was wrong. She told me that my older brother had been in a car accident. At the time, he was serving a mission for our church down in Puebla, Mexico. She went on to tell me that all they knew was that he was in a coma, was on life support and that they had amputated one of his legs. I didn’t know what to think. All I knew was that I wanted to get home to my parents and siblings and figure out what would happen from there.

Within hours, my parents were on a flight to Mexico. Being the oldest child still living at home, I reluctantly stepped in as head of the household and tried my best to be strong for my younger siblings. A few days after my parents’ arrival, my brother woke up from his coma. He found out that he had lost his left leg below the knee and had also lost the use of his left arm. We later found out that he had been hit, carried and run over by a car that was going 80 miles per hour (he was on foot). He needed several surgeries and a ton of therapy and was finally able to come home, back to Arizona, after 5-6 weeks. Our family was ecstatic to be all together again. We had been without parents for awhile and had wanted to see our brother and be able to be with him in person. Unfortunately, he was only home long enough to be fitted with a prosthesis before he decided to go back to Mexico to finish the last 2 weeks of his mission and come home with all the missionaries he had gone out with (crazy, but pretty awesome!!). I was fortunate enough to be able to go back with him in December of 2000 to help him get around.

Being in Mexico was such a neat experience. The people there were amazing, and it was wonderful to see the lives that were touched by my brother and his experience. Even today, people continue to be touched by his story and strength through such a huge trial.

Fast forward 11+ years and my brother is married, has 3 children (with one on the way) and currently works as a Prosthetist. He still deals with residual effects caused by the accident, but wouldn’t change this experience for the world.

What’s crazy is that this experience has not only changed his life, but mine and my spouses as well. While dating, my brother got Lorin (my hubby) a job at the prosthetics company he was working at. Lorin was already a Mechanical Engineering major but after realizing how much he loved prosthetics and how they worked, he switched to Bio-Mechanical Engineering. Since then my husband has graduated, went to school for Prosthetics and is also a Prosthetist.

Crazy, huh?

This inspiring but unexpected event that took place in my family’s life taught me so much. It’s unfortunate that it sometimes takes events like these to make us truly realize how sweet life truly is, but more than anything this experience has taught me that family is number one. You never know what can happen to anyone at anytime, but it’s important to remember that life is sweet, that family is most important and that we should always show our loved ones how much they mean to us.

Having a family of my own now I have tried to remember these things each and every day. I try not to let the little things get in the way (which can be hard). I try to serve, love and be there for my family. And I always try to show my kids and hubby that they’re my number one priority, because when it comes down to it – family is what matters most!