Things to be Thankful For

On Wednesday November 14th , Dustin's 16 year old daughter, Kasandra was in a critical car accident in West Jordan. She was in the backseat of a small car (wearing her seat belt) when it was crushed and then rolled, leaving the three girls trapped inside. The roof of the car needed to be cut off in order to get them out. An off duty Murray EMT was the first to get to the girls and he kept Kasandra alive until help arrived. This is the first thing we are thankful for. Her neck was completely broken, her pelvis crushed, her spleen was hemorrhaging and she survived to make it on Life Flight. We are completely amazed at the ability of these people to work in life and death situations with such care and efficiency. No one realized how badly her neck was broken but the first responders kept her neck completely immobile throughout the transport and all the signs are looking as if she has movement in her arms and legs. That is the next thing we are so thankful for. Upon arrival to the University of Utah hospital she was rushed into surgery to remove her spleen and to place a halo on her head. We are so thankful for those trauma surgeons who kept her alive and were so focused on doing what needed to be done. It has been six days and over this time we have been so grateful for our friends and family. They have called to offer support and have been there to help us and to just sit with us. My mom and dad came up to take care of Kyler so we were able to be at the hospital together without worrying about home. Co-workers covered jobs and kept things running. We are Thankful to have them in our lives. Dustin has been spending most nights with Kasandra in the ICU, and has seen the fantastic nurses monitoring all of the machines keeping her alive. We are thankful for them. We have seen many sad families while we have spent time at the hospital.

We are

thankful for those people who reached out to ask about our loved one, while they shared the story of theirs. There were people of all different faiths offering to pray with us and for Kasandra. We are thankful for their kindness and comfort.
So this Thanksgiving will be different than any other. With all of the sadness we have felt this week, I cannot feel anything less than thankfulness.
So Turkey in a hospital waiting room, here we come!