I haven't posted in awhile because Brad and I have been dealing with a tragedy our best friends experienced on October 7. Until now, I haven't been able to decide if it's appropriate for me to share their tragedy or even how to write about it. Thankfully, things are looking up and I feel ready to share what happened.
On October 7, our friend Lindsay, expecting twins in November, was t-boned by an ambulance as she left the mall. Her car was so badly damaged, they had to use the jaws of life to get her out. Despite a broken collar bone, broken left shoulder blade, broken ribs on both sides and a broken pelvis, she is doing well. As a precaution, the doctors delivered her boys, five weeks before they were scheduled to arrive. Lucas weighed 4 lbs. 11 oz. and Lane weighed 4 lbs. 8 oz. Lane is doing really well and is not having any major problems despite being born early. Lucas though, was on Lindsay's left side and absorbed most of the impact. When he was born, Lucas was not breathing and doctors found three fractures in his skull along with bleeding in his brain they could not stop, causing his brain to swell. On October 14, he was removed from life support and passed away a few hours later. Lindsay is now in a hospital separate from Lane where she is undergoing two weeks of intensive physical and occupational therapy. It will likely be months before she is able to walk again and until then will rely on a wheelchair and walker to get around.
I learned of the accident as I left my yoga class the evening of the 7th. I had two missed calls from Brad and a text that said to call him as soon as possible. My initial reaction was that something had happened to Lindsay and Eric's dog Layla. Layla was diagnosed with cancer in early spring, underwent chemo and was doing well up until about three weeks ago. Her vet optimistically gave her one month to live but said realistically she had about one week. Of course my phone call to Brad yielded a much different scenario. At that point all he knew was that Lindsay had been in an accident and that as a precaution they were delivering the babies.
The next morning, before I was awake, Eric called Brad to give him the news that Lucas was unlikely to survive. When I woke up, Brad gave me the news and we decided to drive to the hospital, not only to provide Eric and his and Lindsay's family support, but to help take care of Layla. We didn't tell Eric we were coming but needless to say, when he saw us, he was glad we were there. As you can imagine, the weekend was long and emotional, and we spent a good deal of timing waiting; waiting for news about Lucas and Lane, waiting for news about Lindsay and the surgery to reconstruct her pelvis, just waiting.
My friend Andrea and I were supposed to throw a couple's shower for Lindsay and Eric that weekend and Lindsay, in her groggy, pain-med induced state, happily stated that we could have the shower later, when her and the boys were home. Everyone at work knew I was throwing the shower so when I returned to work on Monday, everyone was excited to know how it went. It was really painful to have to tell them what had happened, and especially the news about Lucas. I didn't realize how much emotional weight I was carrying on my shoulders from the weekend. When I got home from work I was exhausted and after waking up from a nap, I could not stop crying. It was especially difficult because Brad was in Las Vegas for work and there's only so much a dog can do to help you feel better.
Things got better as the week progressed but Thursday was very difficult as it was the day Lucas passed. Eric asked Brad to be both of the boys' God Father which was quite an honor for Brad; I almost cried when he told me. The following Saturday, October 16, Brad and I decided to go back to Northern Virginia. Lindsay and Eric both talked openly about Lucas' death, their immediate and long-term plans for the future and how they were feeling. Lindsay, although still in significant pain, is doing really well. She is able to move herself from her bed, to her wheelchair and back. Although she despises being so far away from Lane, he is motivation for her to work hard in her therapy sessions. Eric has been bonding with Lane by feeding, holding and changing him and taking lots of pictures for Lindsay. It was nice to see both of them in such good spirits and it helped bring me peace, knowing that they're going to be okay.
As Lindsay and Eric continue to heal, more details are emerging about the accident. Lindsay was hit by a Patient Transport Ambulance which had just dropped off a patient and was heading to another call. A witness has come forward to confirm that Lindsay had the green light and police are now looking for a witness to clarify whether or not the ambulance's light was red or to provide any details about what happened on the ambulance's side of the road. As far as I know, charges will be placed against the ambulance driver.
Tomorrow it will be two weeks since the accident happened and a week since Lucas passed away. Even after seeing Lindsay in the hospital and seeing pictures of both Lucas and Lane, it still doesn't seem real. All of this has really made me reconsider the things I gripe about and get angry over. I'm trying to be more patient, to not take things for granted and to consider what really matters in life. I want to learn from Lindsay and Eric who have proven their love for each other and the strength of their relationship, and I want to spoil Lane to bits and pieces.
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