Susan had just left choir practice on a cold and snowy Wednesday evening to go home. It was a cold third of March. Snow was on the ground, hard packed and slippery. She slid and fell as she was carefully trying to get down the stairs of the Church. but in spite of her best efforts she made the fall and slipped and spun slowly around coming to a stop just inches before sliding into the busy street.
No one stopped to help her but death had been cheated. For if she had slid into the streets she surely would have been run over by a passing dump truck turned snow plow. While still laying on a snow covered side walk she reached into her coat and touched the sterling silver cross necklace hanging around her neck. It was her favorite cross necklace. She wanted the reassurance and touching it before she tried to stand up. To her deep horror she found the cross pendant necklace was not around her neck. She figured it had broke and fallen into her sweater.
She would worry about it later. She was cold and getting colder. She needed to right herself and try to get a little warm before she made the three block walk home.
As she lifted her hands to the snow covered side walk to lift her self up she found her very weak arms working fine but her legs would not respond. She now noticed a burning sharp pain in her lower back. The pain struck her so fast and strong she fell back to the side walk hitting her head and that knocked her unconscious.
By now more choir members came out of the Church and saw her sprawled out on the side walk inches from the fast moving cars on the icy road. Some ran to her aid others jumped on their cell phones calling for help.
Dr. Schwinfield was just coming out of another Church twelve miles away. He and his wife had just gone over funeral arrangement with their Pastor for their 21 year old daughter Anne. Annie, as they called her had been in a car wreck caused by a drunk driver. Her spine had snapped in several places, ironic since Dr. Schwinfield was a neurosurgeon.
He and his wife had just reached the car. He helped his wife into the car to avoid accident in the deep snow. As he walked around his car he thought to himself, how could this happen? His daughter was a very faithful Christian girl and he and his wife raised her and their other three kids to be faithful Christians.
The good doctor had gone on ten missions of mercy with other medical teams to third world countries and performed life saving operations. "Why me...why me? he thought to himself. How could God do this to me?
The ambulance took longer to arrive at the scene of Susan's accident due to the terrible snowy conditions. It took a while in the slippery snow pack sidewalk to slip a C-collar on Susan and taped her to a board before they could put he on a gurney. As one EMT was picking up their gear he saw a sterling silver cross necklace laying under where Susan had been. He figured the bight shine contrasted by the white snow made the cross stand out. There was a bit of a glow to it.
There was a good chance that the silver cross necklace was Susan's so he slipped it next to her on the stretcher.
Traffic was piling up from the emergency vehicles and the falling snow. Dr. Schwinfield and his wife were numb with mourning and didn't say much to each other. Every minute that passed by was like a day.
Finally Susan was in a warm room in the local ER and was swarmed with doctors, nurses, radiologists and other medical personnel. Susan was trying to ask someone, anyone who would listen "where is my cross, where is my cross necklace?". No one would respond, after all they were trying to keep her from going into shock and assessing her condition.
Time past and her parents made their way to Susan's bedside. A doctor came in with all the test results and gave them the bad news. Her spine was broken in four places. She would live but if they could get her into emergency surgery she might go from being a quadriplegic to a paraplegic.
The doctor further said they were trying to contact the closest neurosurgeon to speed things up and advised that she should start being prepped for surgery. All three, Susan, her Mom and Dad said yes. Then Susan said, I would like to pray with my parents before I leave.
Dr. Schwinfield answered his cell phone and was told he was needed for emergency surgery. Dr. Schwinfield yelled at the ER doc and said I'm planning my daughters funeral and you call me for surgery...I'm not even on call. I'm not right for this emergency.
The ER doc apologized and said half the city is with out cell phone service or power and the last neurosurgeon was already in a twelve hour surgery. Dr. Schwinfield didn't say anything and disconnected the call. "The nerve of them calling me to save someones life. Where was a qualified doctor when our Annie needed one?" It was a pointless question because his daughter arrived DOA.
Susan asked her parents if they had seen her sterling silver cross necklace
They said a prayer for Susan and for the doctor who would be operating. They also asked the Lord to bless the person who came in touch with the necklace to be blessed.
A minute later Dr. Schwinfield called back the ER doc and apologized for his previous behavior and said the traffic jam just opened up and he would likely be at the hospital in ten minutes. With a series of perfectly timed green light and the stopping of the snow fall he made it to the hospital in five minutes. He kissed his wife and took off into the ER.
Dr. Schwinfield liked to talk to the patient and family before operating. As he was coming up to the desk he said I'm looking for Susan Johnson and he family. While the nurse was looking for the room assignment the EMT was just signing the last form.
"Hey doc" he said, will you hand the parents this silver cross necklace. I found it at the accident I think it belongs to Susan". The doctor reached out his had and took the cross necklace and said "I will see they get it".
The nurse said the family is in the OR waiting room and Susan was in the OR waiting. He said call them and tell them I'm on my way.
He leaned over and picked up the silver cross necklace. He decided to skip meeting with the parents until after the surgery as every minute counted.
Dr. Schwinfield burst through the OR doors and said let's move! This patient needs to go under right now. As he positioned himself and Susan struggled to turn her neck to say thanks to the doctor she went under.
Susan woke up after what seemed like weeks of being asleep but in reality it was only three hours total. Her parents started talking to her but soon realized she was still very groggy. They stayed by her side all night long. They were awaken to Susan calling them.
They told her all the Dr. Schwinfield said to them. After he had open up her spinal area he noticed that the wound should have killed her. But the spine had not been severed. He didn't think there was much he could do then he felt someone guiding his hands and he did things he didn't know how to do. As they saw Susan drifting off they said one last thing. You will be able to walk again!
Later on as Susan was awake and alone, her parents had decided to take a break and go the hospital cafeteria and she noticed her cross necklace was miraculously in her hand. Just then her parents came in and told her about the cross. How the EMT found it, gave it to the doctor, the epiphany the doctor had with the cross necklace and how a busy doctor took the time to go back to his locker to get the cross and give it to the Mom.
by Callahan
Copyright 2011
No comments:
Post a Comment