Rachel was discharged from the hospital this evening, and as I type this, is at home relaxing on her couch, snug as a bug! We thank you for joining us all in prayer, and are grateful to the Lord for her speedy recovery. She is by no means completely healed, but has been given medication to help with the pain, the nausea, and the dizziness. She is nervous and relieved all at the same time… Nervous to be so far from doctors, should she need them, but relieved to have had a hot bath and snug at home.

There were a few witnesses of her fall who didn’t see the whole incident, but were the only ones speaking up over the weekend. Just last night we heard the full story, and Rachel asked me to clear the air… It does not bode well with her to know that people think that she tripped and fell because she was drunk.

Following is the real story, according to several people who saw the entire thing… A story confirmed by Rachel as truth.

She, our brothers, and a group of friends were all walking home after having a few drinks. Rachel was certainly not drunk… She was walking with her good friend, arms wrapped around each other when a new guy friend came up from behind and swung Rachel around to face him, lifting her up in his arms. He then tripped over the curb, dropping her to the ground and falling after her. Rachel did not have time to react, not knowing she would hit the ground head first. Her friend did not have time to prevent her fall.

When you lift Rachel up in prayer, will you pray for her friends and our brothers, as well? Everyone involved feels horrible, each wishing they could have done something to prevent this accident. Rachel is asking why this had to happen to her and, understandably, feels very confused by it all. Her full recovery will take much time, but the effects of this incident will last forever.

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Rachel and our Mama
photo taken Nov. 9th

You can check out yesterday’s post, if you would like to read about what happened late Friday night.

I left the hospital last night, just after Rachel received clearance to remove the neck brace and begin a clear liquid diet. She was sitting up and quite cheery, with a long line of friends and family members waiting to see her. She was moved from ICU, just after her last CAT scan of the day came back clear – still no sign of swelling or bleeding in her brain.

Ray and I took the kiddos to see Aunt Rachel this afternoon. She was in a whole lot of pain and just all-around down – a stark contrast from last night. She is not able to hear anything out of her right ear, except for a constant ringing, so she speaks very low and can barely hear. She began physical therapy today, but unfortunately was not able to do more than sit up without getting sick. She will try again tomorrow, and will see the ear specialist tomorrow, as well.

Her latest MRI came back clear – While there is no sign of additional damage in her head, the impact was so severe that, in addition to a 1 1/2in. fracture in her skull and her ruptured ear drum, she also has torn ligaments in her neck and a broken bone in her ear.

She has had many visitors again today, and such a wonderful network of support rallying around her.

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photo taken Nov. 9th

Last night, she and our brothers were out with friends. They were walking home from a night on the town, and Rachel tripped over a curb and fell on the right side of her head. She began to bleed from her ear and immediately went unconscious. She was rushed, in an ambulance, to the hospital, where it was determined that she had, at the very least, a fractured skull and a ruptured eardrum.

After being unconscious for almost seven hours, she regained consciousness at around 6:30 this morning, not sure where she was or why she was there. Never being one to handle blood or needles well, she freaked out at all of the IVs and monitoring devices attached to her, but even now doesn’t remember that.

We saw marked improvement all day, as my family and I took turns sitting by her side. Two CAT scans, several blood tests, and an MRI proved no infections and nothing seriously wrong with her brain or her bones. We PRAISE GOD for that! She’s scared and in pain, but still the same ol’ Rachel… worried about her car being parked in the wrong spot, the inventory that needs to be done at work, and where her purse (specifically her makeup) and her phone are!

Please continue to show me grace as posts don’t go up, reviews aren’t written, and emails aren’t returned. I need to be with my family as much as possible, and trust that you all understand that. I will try to update here, and on twitter, as she progresses.

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