Something Big Thats Changed my Life

            On Friday January 31, 2003 I was supposed to have a friend stay the night that night so I had to clean my room. When I came home from school Joey asked if Alli and I wanted help rake the yard. I said sorry but I have to clean my room. Later on that day Mom, Mikey, Alli, Joey, and I went for our evening bike ride/walk. Alli and I were riding together, and Mom, Mikey, and Joey were riding/walking together. Alli and I had to stop because her bike chain fell off. Mom, Mikey, and Joey kept going because we said we would catch up with them. We were there trying to fix Alli’s bike chain for a while but having no progress. Then I heard a scream, I asked Alli if that was my mom and she said no. I looked down the street to see if I could see them but all I saw was bunches of cars crowding in front of the mayor’s house. Things were going threw my head like what if there was a shooting, a car accident, but never my brother getting hit by a car. Later I told Alli that I was going to ride my bike down there and get Mikey to help us. While I was going down there Alli walked her bike. When I was getting closer I realized that something happened down there. I saw my mom there standing, prancing around in circles franticly, and Mikey kneeling on the ground. I hollered mom what happened? My mom hollered Joey got hit by a car. I did not know what to do at that point. The first things that went through my head were that I never told Joey that I loved him and I didn’t help him rake the yard. I was sad but I was staying calm. I hurried up and rode my bike fast to where they were and I hollered at Alli telling her to get over here quick! She asked me why and I told her just to come here. When she got to me we went to where Mikey and Joey were and we looked at Joey and all we saw on his face was blood and a white whole on his forehead. Alli started crying and I told her Alli its fine Joey is going to be okay. I wasn’t sure if he was really going to make it, but I just had to stay strong. Alli and I went into the mayor’s house and used there phone so I could call and tell my friend that she can’t stay the night because Joey got hit by a car. Alli and I were trying to pray but my mom kept telling me to go over there. Finally the ambulance came and they took Joey and Mom in the ambulance to St.Elizabeth in Beaumont. Mikey, Alli, and I rode home with this fireman that goes to our church. When we got home Mikey took my bike out of his truck and he was so worried that he threw it on the ground. Mikey and Mr. Ricky rode together to St.Elizabeth in our car, and I rode with Mrs. Gina and Alli to the hospital. I wanted to ride with Mikey but I had to ride with Mrs. Gina. On our way to the hospital I was in the back seat looking out the window playing the game that Joey and I always played and thought to myself I can’t play this without Joey.

            We finally got to Sot. Elizabeth and it seemed like the longest car ride ever. When we walked through the door we went into this small waiting room where my Mom, Mikey, and Mr. Ricky were in. I went and sat on my moms lap and told her that everything is going to be okay. My mom was calmed down then and so I could actually talk to her. Then a lot of people kept coming and we were all the way out of the waiting room into the hallway. Finally people were allowed to go in and see Joey, but only two people at one time. My mom was in there for a long time and I wanted to see her. Finally I was able to go in there and see Joey. When I got in there Joey was screaming loudly so I left because it was making me sad.  We waited a long time at St. Elizabeth. We found out that Joey had to get life flighted to Texas Children’s hospital in Houston. The guy that was flying the helicopter came up to me and gave Joey and me a pin with a helicopter on it. Joey came out and was screaming louder than before.

            We went back to our house to get some clothes for the night because we were staying the night at Children’s Hospital. When I walked in I went into my room to get some stuff and I could see Joey’s room from my room. I walked in there and I went to his hamster and told him that Joey was coming home soon. Then I let it all out I started to cry because Joey wasn’t with us and I didn’t know if he was going to ever be with us again. I went to my mom and she hugged me. We finally left our house and on our way to Houston. The Coles brought us there. We stopped and got some McDonalds. I was trying to go to sleep on our way to the hospital but I couldn’t. All my mom and Mikey were talking about was the accident and it made me to sad the think about it.

            We finally got to the hospital at midnight and I was so tired. We went up to ICU and the room that Joey was in and this lady had to talk to me about what was wrong with him. They said I could touch him but I was too scared. There was a 50/50 chance that he would survive. Mikey, Granny, and I went out into the lobby and tried to sleep. Alli and Mrs. Gina went to the hotel and slept. We couldn’t sleep in that place so we left and slept in the hobby down stairs.  While we were sleeping my mom was by Joey reading her bible. Joey was homschooled at the time and they just got done reading over Romans 8:28. And my mom just opened her bible and flipped to that page of Romans. That morning when I got up I got to see Joey again but that lady had to talk to me again. It was hard to see Joey in the condition he was in. My whole family got to come down and see us which I never get to see. My grandma came down to see Joey and it was when Joey was in ICU and he remember saying “hey grandma you remembered”. There was this Chinese lady in the hospital, that couldn’t speak English, and her daughter was a newborn and was very sick they were in ICU too, well one night I went back into the lobby after visiting with Joey and EVERYBODY was praying over her, it was so awesome. When that lady got out of ICU we went and visited her in a regular room, she made me those cool origami things. We also met this family with two girls and there daughter has fought cancer all her life and she was six, her name was Faith. Her father was in prison ministry and talked to people off the streets. Whenever Joey got out of ICU, we went and visited the family with Faith in there room and he must of had socks with flip flops on because it looked like he only had two toes, and Joey thought that he only had two toes. Joey had to go to the bathroom really bad when we were in Faith’s room but we were almost done visiting but I guess he couldn’t hold it and he went to the bathroom in his pants. Another time there is this radio station at the Hospital and Joey went to go talk on it but he chickened out. There was this cool playroom with piano, games, and T.V. Joey was getting out of ICU and my dad was down from Iraq, so he took me to the museum and I was going to stay the night at my uncle’s house in Nederland. I wanted to stay the night with my Mom, Mikey, and Joey in his new room. My dad told me I had to stay with him that night so I was depressed the whole time we were at the museum. My dad finally gave in and let me stay the night with my mom Mikey, and Joey. That night I finally cried and let it all out. I was feeling like there was nobody there to comfort me because all they did was go and take care of Joey that night. I cried a lot that night. A lot of days Mikey would come down from Houston and would pick me up from school and take me to the hospital so I could visit Joey. I stayed with different people when they were at the hospital for two weeks the people were Alli, Mrs. Tesha, my Dad at Uncle Carl’s, and at the hospital. When I stayed the night at Mrs. Tesha’s she let me bring Gordon and Gracie. I felt like I was at home. The thing I loved at Children Hospital was the cafeteria. They had the best food ever.