So, on the morning of October 21, I was just minding my own business, making my way to the gym with Finley in tow.
About 5 min in to our drive, I got a call from Wendy asking me if Sawyer was with me...that is weird- because she left to school with Max and Conli!
Well, (tender mercy #1) Wendy was on a walk with her mom that morning, and instead of going down the trail like they usually do, she decided to hop on over to the sidewalk in front of the kids' school. When she reached the cross walk, she ran in to a very concerned Max and Conli. They had lost Sawyer.
Well, this wasn't really that surprising to me. I was actually pretty annoyed because I was certain that, once again, they had left her in the dust on their way to school and she had either gone her own way, or was just lolly gaggin behind. I told Wendy not to worry, she was probably already around back lined up with her class. But I asked her to go check for me.
In the middle of our phone call, Kari Traveller- our sweet neighbor, called Wendy- Wendy said "hold on-Kari's calling me, that's weird, I wonder why she'd be calling me this early."
When she said that, something in me felt unsettled, so when I hit the next light, I flipped around and decided to head back home.
In the middle of my turning around, Wendy called back and I could tell she was out of breath. "Everything is ok, but Sawyer has been hit by a car." She said. I am so grateful that she thought to say "Sawyer is ok" first, because it made me feel safe. But, I was scared of what had happened to my little girl. Wendy, still on the phone said she was running down to the corner. That Kari had received a knock at her door from someone asking if she knew of a little red headed girl- and she thought of Sawyer first. She had tried to call me too, but I didn't answer because I didn't know who it was.....
I called Brent's phone, but he didn't answer.
I called it 5 more times on my way to Sawyer, but he didn't answer. I knew he was at the gym and probably couldn't hear it ringing, so I just decided to wait to try again.
I hurried as fast as I could back towards our house.
As I made my way down Harvey Blvd, it made me sick to see the flashing lights of a firetruck and police cars up ahead. I mean, it's bad enough when you don't even know what's happened or who is involved, but knowing it was my little girl just left a pit in my stomach.
There was a crowd ahead, and I bunch of cars pulled off to the side of the road, so I parked as close as I could and jumped out of the car (leaving Finley buckled in her seat) and ran down to the scene.
Like I said before- Wendy had told me she was ok, and the first thing I saw of her was her beautifully curled hair (she was all prettied up for picture retakes that day) atop her head as she sat on the sidewalk with policemen and EMT's and neighbors standing around her.
I got there not too long after the EMT's arrived, and they were just gathering info from the policemen, and coming over to talk to Soy.
Oh my poor girl. She was terrified, and just crying. Her pants were all ripped up, and her poor face was just a mess.
There was a lady behind her that I assumed was the first one there, and I was so grateful- but I didn't really take the chance to talk to her.
I ran up to Sawyer and she just started crying even harder.
It broke my heart.
It was quite chaotic, and there were people coming up to make sure she was ok and I was ok and I just wanted to pick her up and hold her, but I couldn't. They had to make sure she was ok. It looked like her right cheek had taken the brunt of the hit, so they wanted to take her to the hospital to get some x-rays and other things.
When
I had a second- I glanced over at the car-
Her bike was done for- and her front tire and handle bar were no where to be seen.
She hadn't left with a helmet on, and her face had hit the street.
Tender Mercy #2- she was not seriously injured.
Lindy had driven by and was looking our way- you know how you do- and I waved her over.
Holly Casabar was there to lend a hug.
Shannon Child and Wendy were there.
The prinipal and vice principal were there along with others.
Megan Anderson had come over to tell me that she got to the school to check her kids in late and Max and Conli were standing by her classroom door looking really upset. They still didn't know what had happened. Last they'd heard was Wendy on the phone with Kari and then she'd taken off running. I'm sure they were worried sick.
Megan had told them that she was pretty sure Sawyer wasn't coming to school because she'd been hit by a car and they lost it.
She wanted to bring them over to us but the secretaries wouldn't let her because she wasn't their mom (which is what they're supposed to do) so she came over to ask the principal if she could get them and bring them to me.
He walkie talkied over to them to tell them it was ok and she ran and got them for me.
The whole time, from when Wendy had called to tell me what had happened, to coming upon the scene, to seeing Sawyer, I was really calm. I think I handle these situations pretty well. I didn't freak out, I hadn't even cried.....
When the firemen were asking her where it hurt, she had told them her face, her back, and her leg. Her pant legs were ripped open, so we were sure she'd skinned them up pretty bad. When they told her she would have to go to the hospital, the first question she asked was, "Can I still go Halloween?" :) She's the best!
They got her up and she walked with them over to the stretcher. Her pants were pretty scraped up, and how they weren't split open was a mystery. (
tender mercy #3)
She hobbled a little bit over to it, but not too bad. You could tell her leg was bugging her, but she was walking on it all right. They had told me they would probably be taking her to primary childrens-which I thought was weird because we have a hospital just down the street- and they ended up coming back to say they could just take her there. They were mostly worried about head trauma.
When they got her on the stretcher, they put a brace on her neck- which caused her some worry. But they were so tender and sweet with her. They answered all her questions, and made her feel at ease. I was so grateful to them for that. (tender mercy #4)
As they were getting her situated on the stretcher, Wendy came over to see what she could do for me and it was then that I realized Finley was still in the car- so she ran and grabbed her.
Then, I saw Max and Conli coming over, and they were so upset, and Wendy gave me a hug and I started to cry. I felt so bad for all of them. I knew they would blame themselves for not staying with her, and seeing them scared and worried for her just broke my heart.
The first thing Max said was "it's all my fault mom." I tried to reassure them it wasn't their fault, but gosh it was sad.
Ugh- breaks my heart to see them so upset.
Max told her over and over how sorry he was.
It was scary watching them buckle her all in and get her ready to go.
She was super nervous.
So, the accident- from what I could gather, happened at this corner where a highschool boy was turning and didn't see her and she didn't see him. He had stopped and had just started going- (T.M) when they collided. He stopped the second he realized what he'd done.
He was there, just a mess, just crying and nervous as all get out.
I saw him mom come running up to him, asking him, "Matthew, what happened???" She was super worried and panicked herself.
When we were walking over to the firetruck, I stopped and went over to him just to let him know that everything was going to be ok.
I just hugged him and said it was all ok, and accident's happen and I am so grateful I took that moment.
Wendy and Shannon said they'd get the kids taken care of.
Max and Conli really really wanted to come to the hospital with me, but I wanted them to go home and just wait until we got things figured out.
I had a teensy panic attack on the ride down to the hospital because I didn't know exactly who had who and where they were going. I did know that Wendy would get them taken care of though, so I just had to take a deep breath and relax :)
The cool thing was that we got to ride in a fire truck to the hospital, not an ambulance. It was a cool rig.
I got to go with her, and just as I was getting in, Brent finally called me back. Wendy had tried to call him a couple times as well and I'm sure when he finally looked at his phone he knew something was wrong.
I was as calm as I could be and just told him that Sawyer had gotten hit, not too many details because I knew he'd be upset and in the car, so I didn't send him any pictures or anything, just told him that she was ok and they were taking us to the hospital so he could meet us there.
They gave her a special blanket to keep her warm and she got to keep it.
When we got into the ER, it was kinda crazy only because people were asking me questions, and people were calling me and I wanted to be right there with her, but it was good. They cut her pants off, and had her change into a cute little hospital outfit so they could check out the damage. Her tummy had some good road rash on it and she kept complaining it hurt so they wanted to rule out internal bleeding. They also though she may have a broken cheek bone because it was so scraped up and swollen. Her knee was cut open too, and she complained about that probably the most.
Her poor cheek. It wouldn't stop weeping. I could not believe that it wasn't cut open though- (tender mercy #5)
Darla called me about 10 minutes after we had arrived at the hospital. I hadn't put anything out on instagram or facebook or anything and was laughing that she knew something had happened! Holly- who had been at the accident, well her hubs works with Aaron and so she had told him and he had told Aaron right away. I love her for calling and checking on us. I have been blessed with the greatest of friends!
She was NOT a fan of getting an IV, but they were so good with her and it went in like a champ.
Daddy showed up right after they'd tried to clean her face....and her leg....and her stomach....not the greatest part of the day. It hurt, and it scared her more than it hurt so it was not fun.
Apparently, he hadn't thought it was as bad as it was from how I told him- so he was shaken up a bit after seeing her. That sweet man. I love him more than anything on earth. He just held her and cried. These kids are the luckiest kids ever.
She was soooooo sad and somber. It was soooo sad.
But look how cute she was in her hospital get up!
I didn't know Brent had brought the kids with him, so I went out to get them so they could come see her. They just cried and cried. Poor, sweet, kids.
(tender mercy #6)
Summer just happened to be at the hospital with Pierce getting an ultra sound, so I (think) I had her take them back to school. I just figured having them home wasn't going to help anything, so going to school would at least take their minds off of it. They were not happy with me, but I think it was the best thing to do for them. We didn't know how long we'd be here and I didn't want them home alone. Brent went with Sawyer to get her MRI or CT- I can't remember and I don't know which is which- but they wanted to do it to check her head and tummy.
Mana showed up, and Brother Ferguson came down (best home teacher ever) with his sweet wife Cheryl that I love and she just was there to love and hug and help. He and Brent gave Sawyer a blessing. We truly live in SUCH a blessed ward. I LOVE them all with all my heart. They are such wonderful, caring, selfless, giving people. I am so grateful we moved here and have been able to stay in our ward after having to move again! :)
Well, the verdict was in- no trauma to her stomach or head. She was lucky as can be. She did have a big ol chunk of gravel in her knee, so they had to numb that sucker up and pull it out. They also had to put a stitch in it- but she was really really quite sure that she did NOT want stitches, so they pretended they were doing something else while they put it in. The Dr was great, so were all the nurses and all the people there to help. There was also a sweet lady that came in and gave her a goodie basket with a wand, and lots of fun things to do. It was really a great experience. They were all in awe at how well she was doing and how well she was handling everything. This is one brave, strong, stalwart little lady!
Well, when it was finally time to leave, we headed home.
(tender mercy #I've lost count)
When we walked in the door,
this was on the coffee table. On the orange balloon, it read- Here's a bit of something for a new bike.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME???????
I just started crying.
The names of the donators were on the blue balloon and there were people on there that we don't even know! Apparently, Matthew- who hit her, his mom runs a preschool. A friend of mine- Summer Pratt had seen the accident right after it happened, and knew Matthew because he used to be in her ward- (randomly enough, Wendy's mom bought their house just a month ago) Summer's little one is in her preschool, so she went to tell her what had happened and decided to do something to help. Parent's at the preschool just gave her money! I cannot believe the goodness of people. I will love them forever for this token of love. We did NOT have the means to get Sawyer a new bike, and this was going to provide for her. I was just blown away. The bike she had been riding was actually given to us last summer by Travellers and it was a great bike and such a tender mercy in itself that it was just beyond me that these people had done this! They had given us $80!!!!!! It was thee sweetest thing.
Jess was staying at our house this day- I just remembered that :) So he was there when they dropped this balloon bouquet off, and I'm so glad he was there with us! I love that guy!
So many kids came by. So many friends of mine and hers.
Her first visitors were Mataiya & Katelyn Anderson, and Levi & Austin Olsen. They themselves made her some cookies and a note and just wanted to tell her to get better soon. Can you say sweetness? They are 11, 8, and 10 yrs old! She's never really played or talked to them and they were there for her! I had no words. It was such a sweet thing to see these people pouring into our house from everywhere.
Gosh, I'm trying to remember everyone- Sister Hatch, Shannon Child, Sister Keyes, Bishop and Sister Cloward, The Finch family, The Call's, Eli and Brooklyn, Heather- with Tiff and the kids, Tara and her kids, there were many more but I'm drawing a blank. It was seriously non stop from about 4-9. She was understandably sore as can be, and really worn out. We had what seemed like hundreds of calls and the visitors started piling in as soon as school was out.
She had to take a little breather in there for a little bit- she was SUPER self conscious about people seeing her face. She thought they'd make fun of her. oh- her teacher Ms. Jones came over too. That was really special. Sawyer couldn't believe that she actually came to her house! She was the most self conscious when the Call boys came by- they're a sweet family that lives just out of the culdesac we moved from. My girls have taken quite a liking to their boys and it's hilarious- she did NOT want them to see her. But they brought her what they remember as her favorite treat- a HUGE bunch of reeses peanut butter cups. Brother Ferguson came by with sour patch kids, Karri came by and JD came by with about 6 bags of sour watermelons- he had texted beforehand to see if he was allowed to "spoil her"- I said "she got hit by a car- you can give her as much of whatever you want!"
This is the most adorable piece of balloon art I've ever seen given to her by Karri.
She got oodles of goodies- treats galore, and things to keep her busy, arts and crafts. Tara brought her 3 choices of McDonalds deliciousness.
She was just enveloped in love and she LOVED it.
Well, that night, they said to make sure she was ok, give her medicine and stuff so she wouldn't be in too much pain yada yada yada
Well, she said she was fine when she went to bed- we gave her some tylenol, but she slept right thru the night, with her 2 new blankies (they gave her one at the hospital too) and woke up as the spit fire she is!
Nothing can hold her down!
She didn't go to school that day, of course, and she was CRAZY stiff and sore, but she wanted to go hang at Dad's office while I worked out. She had a hard time bending her knee, but besides that she didn't really complain at all.
She even got her sassatude back in full effect!
Her big puffy cheek had cleaned up alot over night.
When we were in the ER, Dad just happened to be at the chiropractor in Logan. He is an amazing chiropractor. He completely fixed me when I got hurt at Crossfit last year and had been unable to do anything with my arm for 6 months. I went to him once and WHAM-O, I was healed! He's kind of a wizard :) Well, he just happens (tender mercy #eleventeen) to have this little laser contraption that can clear scars up like he actually is a wizard! He had pictures of a burn victim he had actually helped just weeks before and the results were unbelievable. He said that the more fresh the wound is, the better the laser will clear it up, so we made an appt to drive up and see him that Friday.
Anywhoozle- She was ALL about going to get a new bike and a helmet "a'course" she says- that day. That very day! I was like- um, maybe do you want to take er easy today? Remember how you just got hit by a car yesterday and it totaled your bike? (which, by the way, Shannon brought back over to our house and it was a mangled piece of mess. The handlebar that I couldn't see was bent ALL the way under it, and the tires/spokes on the front tire were demolished)
Without a second thought, she said let's go!
So, Jess and I hopped in the car with her and to Target we went.
Karri told us to come to Target because she could use her discount for us- awesome!
We got there and headed straight to the bikes. I don't know what she had in mind, but they apparently didn't have it- in the end though, she ended up with a bike she loves.
This helmet, on the other hand....
She was adamant about having this one. We were all giggling to ourselves forever. Trying to show her other options, but no, she was not having it! She wanted this one- I mean, I don't know why she wouldn't want it- it SCREAMS Sawyer. She said it was a good one because everyone would be able to see her with this one on! Good point sis- well played!
Modeling the new goods- purchased ALL by friends and people who are incredible!
You know what she did? When we got home, she asked me if she could ride it over to Jaynee's!
UH-MAY-ZING
I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT!
Besides the fact that she'd just been hit one day before, it really hurt her to bend her knee- but, off she went- right down the street!
Also- when we got home, these were waiting for her. They were from Mana, Papa, Kyli and Casi. She LOVED them. She never had felt so special and loved!!!!!
Playing with some of her goodies!
Remember how I say, often I know, that I have such extraordinary friends?
Well, here goes yet another example.
Natalie texted me about how she decided Sawyer needed a new awesome outfit to go back to school.
So, she was going to provide one.
I cried- yet again- at the giving, loving people that surround us.
Sawyer was SUPER nervous and conscientious about going to school with her cheek- this MADE.HER.DAY.
I can't even explain what a blessing it was that she did that! She took us down to -justice- and picked her out a spankin new outfit! What a gift! Sawyer felt beautiful and I couldn't love Natalie more!
We decided that she could go to school Thursday. And with her new outfit- she was READY! Oh- the day before- it was red ribbon week at school (mind the crazy socks Max and Conli are sportin the day of the accident) the kids all tied names to red balloons and sent them into the air for people they love and stuff- Sawyer's teacher put hers in her balloon and so we got to watch them all fly up in the air knowing Sawyer was included- soo sooo soooo sweet.
People.are.good.
On Friday, we drove up to Logan after the gym and met with Dr. Stucky. He went over what the laser does, and explained every bit of it to her, then he got to work. Honest to goodness, the minute we left it started peeling off. This was the day of. I couldn't believe it! Another tender mercy- dad being at his office when the accident happened so he could then realize that he could help us!
This was the Friday just after it happened I believe. I just wanted to get a picture of her battered little body.
When it was finally time to take the stitches out, she decided she was going to do it! Of course she was! She grabbed the tweezers out of the little kit they gave us at the ER and pulled it right out.
And, here is a picture of her face today.
Gorgeous, perfect, sprinkled little cheek.
