Jessica’s Story – Pray 4 Jessica

I am a mother of five children. We lost our first son when he was two-and-a-half in a drowning accident. Jessica is our middle daughter. At the age of 21 she was in a very serious car accident that nearly took her life (and did in a way) Jess was driving. She was thrown out the passenger side window. She suffered a traumatic brain injury. (Please visit www.pray4jessica.com to learn more.)

The events of that day will forever be etched in my brain. The memory, the things we saw, they will always be there. I just hope that someday I will see past the ugliness of it all.

Two years later, Jessica continues to progress. (Don’t ever let them tell you or believe them when they say that after a year, that’s where it all stops, that progression stops there. It’s just not true) Jessica is doing amazing considering her grim prognosis. We have been by her side continually encouraging her. We believe in her and have hope in her, but more importantly, she believes in herself. The night of her accident was certainly very frightening. We experienced very lonely feelings of hopelessness and despair, spinning out of control. The doctors gave us no hope.  They can’t!

I do know that Hope is what we clung to. We have come to know it as a very powerful work, a powerful tool in the continued recovery of our daughter, Jessica. There is a quote by Martin Luther that I framed and read often. It reads:

“Everything that is done in the WORLD is done by HOPE.”

I remember numbly searching the scriptures on anything and everything I could find about miracles. I wanted to ask the Lord for a miracle. I felt selfish, I didn’t know if it was possible, I knew that I was one small human in this big universe of many people who wanted and needed miracles in their lives, maybe more than I did. Who was I to ask? The answer I got was “yes, you can ask for a miracle!” Just as the Father knows every small bird that falls from the nest, there I am also. He knew me, and He knew my situation and He knew my daughter. She was His daughter before she was mine.

Miracles happen in His time in His way – which is the best way. Every day my selfish pleading for my daughter continued I learned to pray, I learned what to pray for, and how to pray for it. I didn’t pray for a general healing, but instead, I prayed for specific parts of her body and brain that needed healing. Little by little, the opportunities came. Ideas on how to help her and where to go came. We were experiencing a miracle and we were the facilitators.

In times of grief, I have asked Why? Why Jessica? Why our family? (This is an injury that affects family and friends) Asking why does not show weakness, in fact, just the opposite, it is a process. The answers and learning come from asking, “Why?” How else could we know? Yes, I have lost a daughter so to speak.  She is not the same. She is not the daughter I raised, but we still have her. She is beautiful and bright, but more than that, her spirit is strong and good

I am sad about the loss of my daughter, Jessica, and her life that was to be, but we rejoice that she is here. I won’t say that I am thankful for these experiences. I may never! and that’s O.K. too.

Jess has been through so much, we have been through so much. We have seen more than we ever wanted to see. We know this is going to be a long recovery and healing and we don’t always like it, but we stand prepared to continue and be her advocate, and to help her get a life back. Many angels walk among us and help in this healing process. For that we are grateful.