Miracle survivor

Craven Herald

I am writing to the paper in the hope you will print this letter as a means to convey our deep feelings of gratitude and the message of thanks to the many people who have helped us over the last three months.

In December 2006 our son had a very serious car crash on the way to college and was almost killed. But for the two nurses who were passing and stopped to help him, he would have died, we are sure. They took jerseys from bystanders and family to keep him warm, thank you if you handed one over. Then if it had not been for the air ambulance being able to land and transport him to hospital he would not have survived for he was whisked off to Preston Hospital.

The miracle does not finish there. He was not expected to live, we were told he would probably die, was expected to die at any moment, but they did not give up on him and after many hours we went through to the Critical Care Unit and we were able to see him.

For the next couple of weeks the nurses and doctors kept a vigil on his physical condition. With quiet confidence, compassion and endless patience they nursed and monitored him and allowed us to stay by his side until he recovered and regained conscience. Thank you.

It is almost impossible to explain how it feels when your teenage son is reborn to you, moves a finger, then hand, then opens eyes and wakes. However a fear remained, as he had severe brain damage and only time could tell how severe it was.

To us they are not just nurses and doctors working in the hospitals, but angels and heroes who treat not just the patients but family too. Smiles from doctors as we passed in corridors, quiet reassurance from cleaners, nurses coming to ask how we were and assistants sorting accommodation and parking were all things that helped us survive.

The little things make such a difference, things we want to thank you for, these actions and many other small actions helped us to cope and survive those awful times.

When you make a list of the groups of people who ensured our sons survival and recovery it is quite a humbling thing. The list includes the police, helicopter pilots and paramedics, nurses and doctors, cleaners and ward assistants, caterers, janitors, ambulance driver, physios, speech therapists, occupational therapists, psychologists, dieticians, and they are just the professionals! Backing them up we were lucky enough to have family, friends, our sons' friends, our employers (who were amazing), colleagues from work and the congregations of the many churches throughout the land who were praying for us all.

We have been so fortunate as our son is now home again with us and going to make a full recovery. If you could print this is would go a small way to thank all these people for all they have done for us, we are so grateful to them all.