Appointment With Destiny
“Looking back, it’s hard to remember life before we knew Roger and Mcailee. ... maybe that’s because God knew all along that one day they would be (a part of our life). ”
This is a picture of Roger and Mcailee with their ‘unofficial’ Dirt Farmer Grandparents!
Appointment With Destiny
Doesn’t it seem like meeting certain people and encountering accompanying circumstances are oftentimes destined in a person’s life? Dirt Farmer Jay and I experienced a perfect storm of both back in February 2020. One Sunday, as we were driving back to the farm from our church we noticed that cars ahead of us were slowing down and pulling over to the side.
We slowed as well and just as we came around a curve in the road we could see a car, upside down, off the side of the road. People were out of their cars and milling around. No police or ambulance was there yet.
In an instant, Jay was out of the truck and striding across the road towards the wrecked car. I had recently had foot surgery so decided to stay in the truck. Before I knew it, I couldn’t see Jay. After a few minutes, it dawned on me... He has climbed inside the wrecked car with its injured occupant.
Hanging upside down from his seatbelt was a young man in his early 20s. His name was Roger. He had been the passenger in the car and his younger brother was the driver. It was raining and we had felt our truck hydroplane just before we came to the accident site so my guess is that the car Roger was in had done the same. His brother was unhurt but Roger was in bad shape. He kept saying that he couldn’t breathe and was in and out of consciousness.
Jay was sitting on the roof of the upside-down car’s back seat and talking softly to Roger who was hanging by the seat belt in front of him. He was rubbing Roger’s back and telling him he was not alone and to stay strong because help was on the way. It seemed like an eternity before help arrived. Just before they came, Jay saw Roger’s open eyes glaze over and he stopped breathing “He’s gone,” Jay thought.
“Jay was sitting on the roof of the upside-down car’s back seat and talking softly to Roger who was hanging by the seat belt in front of him. ”
Just then there was a paramedic next to the window and a flurry of activity began. They put a collar on Roger’s neck to stabilize it and then the paramedic yelled, “Anyone got a knife?” Jay said “I do” and pulled his razor knife out of his pocket. Quickly several paramedics gathered around, they held Roger as the seatbelt was severed and then gently but quickly removed him from the car and into the ambulance.
Jay watched the ambulance drive away and walked back to the truck. He was pretty sure that Roger had died and was really shaken. Of course, the paramedics could not tell Jay what hospital they were going to or any other details.
I had taken a photo on my phone of the upside-down car and posted it to Facebook, asking people to pray for this young man. Later that night we got a call from one of our sons who had seen the post. Roger is a Pacific Islander and our son worked with a woman who was also from the Islands. He promised to ask her the next day at work if she knew the person in the accident. Sure enough, Roger turned out to be her cousin! She was able to tell us that he had survived but was in critical condition and told us what hospital he was in.
This is the picture Dirt Farmer Maggie took of the crash. While you can’t see Jay, he was hanging off the side of the car comforting Roger.
The next day, we saw a “Go Fund Me” page on Facebook and the photo was the one I took of the wrecked car. We decided to give a generous donation. Not too many hours later, we heard from Roger’s wife, Mcailee, thanking us for our donation. She asked how we knew about the accident and we were able to explain our connection.
From that day forward, we communicated with Mcailee on a regular basis getting updates on Roger’s condition. He was unconscious for quite a few days and was heavily sedated. This was right when Covid was spreading rapidly and no visitors were allowed in hospitals. It was a difficult time for the family.
When Roger was getting better, but still hospitalized, Mcailee suggested a zoom call. That was the first time I had seen Roger. His beautiful smile instantly grabbed my heart. He was upbeat and just thankful to be alive. He had fractured his neck from C3 to C8 and has been categorized as a Complete Quadrapoligic. He has use of his hands and arms but not his legs.
After Roger came home from the hospital we finally got a chance to meet him, Mcailee, and their two beautiful children in person. As it turns out, both of Roger’s parents have passed away as have his grandparents. During that Zoom call, his nurse came in the room and asked “who are you on a call with” and Roger said, “My Grandparents”. We became his “unofficial” grandparents on that day.
“We became his ‘unofficial’ grandparents on that day.”
This last week was the first anniversary of the accident. We are building them a new walk-in closet in their basement apartment complete with a tabletop so that Roger can roll his wheelchair under it. Plus, for the first time in a year, put in his OWN contact lenses.
Roger and Mcailee are two of the most resilient and humble people we have ever met and we feel blessed that we happened along on a fateful day so we could love and support them through this journey. Looking back, it’s hard to remember life before we knew Roger and Mcailee. It feels like they have always been a part of us - but maybe that’s because God knew all along that one day they would be.
