Gebrauchtes Buch in gutem Zustand.

Toes in the Sand

How One Woman Discovered the Gift of Unwavering Faith That Changed Her Life CompletelyBy Nena Jackson

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2011 Nena Jackson
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4567-2370-5

Chapter One

WINTER BLUR

It had been a typical Sunday evening at our home. Dinner was over and our family was preparing for the week of work and school ahead. While upstairs trying to determine what to wear to work the next day, I heard my cell phone ringing downstairs. I laughed because my cell phone always rings when I am on one floor and it is on another. I ran the familiar course through the house to the kitchen and started digging in my purse to catch the caller before the last ring. Of course my phone was in the bottom of my purse but I grabbed it just in time to see that it was my dad calling. My parents and brother lived in Birmingham, Alabama, as did my sister, Rhonda, who was married to Bryan and had a six year old son, Austin. I was the only family member that had moved away.

When I answered the phone I could immediately tell that something was different in my dad's tone of voice. With great concern he explained, "I wanted to call and let you know that Clint has been admitted to the hospital with pneumonia. He has been sick for several days but he didn't let on that he was getting worse. He actually drove himself to the hospital tonight and they immediately admitted him."

I caught my breath and exclaimed, "That is the last thing I thought you were calling about. How horrible for this to happen today since it is his birthday! Is he going to be okay?"

"When Clint called he said the doctor thought he would be okay but that he needed to stay in the hospital for a few days. We knew he felt bad today because he stayed home from church and that rarely happens. We celebrated his birthday at lunch and then he went back to bed. Tonight while your mom and I were away he felt so bad that he drove to the hospital. We are headed down there now to see him so I will give you a call later tonight or in the morning to let you know how he is doing."

With care I replied, "Please do keep me posted. Don't worry about calling too late. Any time is fine."

I shared the news with Scott and Madison and called Justin. We all said a prayer for Clint's recovery that night before going to bed.

Clint was not a typical forty five year old man. He had a learning disability and had never been able to live on his own; therefore he lived with my parents in the same bedroom he had occupied when we were children. He was able to drive a car, work simple part time jobs, and attend church but not much else. He lived a very simple life but seemed content. Over the years he had been so wonderful to Justin and Madison, which I deeply appreciated.

My dad did not call back until the next morning but the update he gave me was good. Clint was resting comfortably and was receiving the medical attention he needed to get better. I went about my day at work with great relief that he would be fine in a few days. I knew my parents did not need any more stress in their lives because my dad was still recovering from a stroke that occurred six months before.

Around ten o'clock that night my dad called back. On the other end of the phone I could hear my dad crying. My heart sank as I spoke, "Dad, what's wrong? Is Clint okay?"

Through his sobbing my dad mumbled, "Clint went into cardiac arrest tonight and now he is in a coma. Mom and I are rushing to the hospital now."

My eyes filled up with tears as I tried to find words to say. I was finally able to respond, "I don't understand. What happened today that caused him to take a turn for the worse?"

"Nothing we know of right now. Mom and I both went down to see him earlier this evening and he was doing about the same. The doctor came by while we were there. She told us that Clint was still very sick but with time his body and the medication should be able to fight off the pneumonia. The doctor also told us he would be kept in the ICU on a ventilator for the next several days. After that update your mom and I felt pretty comfortable and decided to come home so we could get some sleep. Ten minutes ago I received a call that he had gone into cardiac arrest. I don't know what happened after we left him."

"Are you okay to drive? I am sure Bryan or Rhonda would drive you and Mom if you are too upset."

"No, I will be okay. I just want to hurry up and get to the hospital so I can get more information. I will call you back as soon as I know something."

"Okay. I love you, Dad."

"I love you too."

Around midnight my dad called back with awful news. He said that Clint was showing signs of brain damage from the cardiac arrest and that the doctor didn't know if he would ever come out of the coma. Clint had gone into cardiac arrest when they changed his breathing tube on the ventilator. They had to work on Clint for several minutes to revive him and that is when the brain damage occurred. My dad said they were going to start performing tests the next day to determine the extent of the brain damage but at this point things did not look good at all.

I didn't sleep much that night because I was in complete shock. None of this seemed real, especially since I was nine hours away. I knew that I had to get down there as soon as possible to be with my parents and sister. The next day I took the first flight available to Birmingham. During my layover in Atlanta I called my dad to check on Clint's status. My parents had just been told that Clint had suffered extreme brain damage and would never be able to live without being on life support. They were going to wait for me to arrive to decide next steps but they knew what Clint would want us to do. He had made it clear to my parents that he did not want to be kept alive on life support if he was ever in that situation.

I was numb on my flight to Birmingham as my thoughts were consumed with what was going to happen next. Faced with the most difficult decision our family had ever encountered, Rhonda and I had to find incredible strength so we could help our parents through the days ahead. I just couldn't believe that something like this had happened to my brother. Clint had never lived the type of life that Rhonda or I did and now his life was going to end in a very sad way. Knowing that I would never be able to talk to him again was very hard to swallow. Sure, I would be able to physically see him and say goodbye but he would never respond.

After my flight arrived and I had picked up my luggage, I went to wait outside for my dad to arrive. When I saw his car coming my way the tears started flowing. My dad pulled his car over to the curb near me and got out. He came over and hugged me tightly while we both sobbed uncontrollably. Once we gained composure he put my luggage in the trunk and we drove to the hospital to meet my mom and Rhonda. We arrived just in time for the next ICU visit and all four of us went in to see Clint together. I stood in the hallway outside my brother's unit and watched my mom and dad hold Clint's hand and tell him that I had arrived. Hearing this was too much to bear but somehow I found the strength to join them. We all stood around Clint and told him how much we loved him. We all stood there for what seemed like an eternity hoping he would just wake up and respond. There were times when his eyes would slightly open but the nurse informed us that it was just his nerves twitching. My heart broke as I watched my brother just lay...