Three weeks ago, an unthinkable type of accident occurred. Gavyn and his mom were driving, when Gavyn undid his five-point harnass on his car seat. He was climbing out of his seat as his mom turned quickly around to see what he was doing. In that instant, she hit a bus.
Both were transported to two of our best hospitals and have received excellent care. Unfortunately, Gavyn's injuries are pretty severe. He has a gap between C6 and C7 on his spine. There's another injury to his medulla, which most likely means he won't be able to breathe on his own. His head is encased in an halo, preventing him from moving. He has undergone two surgeries so far, one to try to reduce the gap between C6 and C7, and one to fuse them together. His mom's external injuries were also bad. A broken collarbone, bruised ribs, liver, and lungs. Cuts. Internally, though, I'm sure her injuries are far more severe.
People immediately assumed carelessness, drugs, alcohol, and irresponsibility were the causes of this accident. Nothing can be further from the truth. Gavyn's mom is a good mom, loving, kind, attentive. In fact, how many moms have quickly taken their attention from their driving to attend to a child? I have personally done it numerous times.
This horrific accident reminds me to pay more attention to my son because life can change instantaneously. I hug him more, which is hard to do to a ten year old, and tell him frequently that I love him. Gavyn's story is a reminder to all parents about the fragility of human life. Our children are precious to us, as Gavyn is to his parents, and we only want what is best for them.
Gavyn-of the beautiful eyes and smile-lays in a hospital bed, his parents by his side, hooked to machines. He, and his parents, give us hope and remind us what our true purposes are as parents: to love our children and do what we think is best for them.
