*Thanks to our friend at DPS for sharing this picture of Anthony's truck.
You see why we are all considering his survival as nothing short of a miracle.
I apologize upfront about the long post. You see, I love to write. I do promise to try to explain things as easily as I can and in my own words. I quietly sit alone in the comfort of my room reflecting on events as they took place on that day. This is an account of the ordeal as it happened; at first, with the aid of recorded messages via the cell phone: texts and calls, then, just referencing things to the best of my ability -- or as freshly as said events remain embedded in my memory.It was 8:00 am, and I was getting ready to attend a mandatory training workshop at 10 am for all English professors and tutors at Midland College (MC); I also had several other appointments and meetings later in the day at MC. It was what seemed to be an uneventful Friday morning; I was excited but feeling antsy. I had been feeling kind of anxious for a couple of days. I left it up to being nervous at beginning another semester at college. Actually, this will be my final semester at MC and that saddens me.
At approximately 8:34 am, I get a text from my sister Josie about Anthony's car accident. My niece Alex and her were rushing to the E.R. at Midland Memorial Hospital (MMH). No one really knew many of the finite details just yet only that it had been a multiple car accident, and Anthony had sustained two broken legs. I apologized for not being able to meet them at MMH. I promised I would go there ASAP following my many commitments; she understood and said she would keep me abreast of his condition. She texted me periodically with whatever updates she had to share.
At 9:23 am, I called Sara to tell her about Anthony. I told her I wanted to skip everything I needed to do, but she reminded me that I needed to complete the tasks at bay. She said she would keep in touch with Josie as well and for me to proceed with my workshop first. The rest would work itself out. She keeps me grounded, and I am grateful for her ability to remain level headed.
By 9:42 am, Josie texted me that MMH determined that they did not have the sufficient trauma facilities required to medically treat Anthony. He would need to be airlifted to the University Medical Center (UMC) in Lubbock; situation more serious. It was more clear that Anthony had sustained some of the worst and most brutal of the bodily injuries including damage to the lungs and kidneys, as well as the two broken legs (one leg had no feeling in it). His legs were in bad shape: both femurs broken, both ankles shattered, a broken tibia, artery damage to one leg (reason he had no feeling in it); actually one leg was completely shattered; his legs were so mangled that the shattered leg is the one considered the bad leg despite all the damage to the other one. Josie added that the "jaws of life" had to be used at the scene because Anthony had been badly pinned in his truck. My heart broke for him each time I received an update.
At 10:00 am, I arrived at the MC Writing Hub for the training workshop (sessions), and I conveyed my concerns about Anthony to my coworkers after explaining about the accident.
At 10:03 am, my family (Josie, Alex, and Jabier) informed me that they were en route to Lubbock. My supervisor offered to let me leave, but the other appointments later that day required me to remain on campus, so I thanked her and the others (who had already arrived for the training) for their concerns and prayers. I remained worried throughout the workshop. I tried to remain in positive mode; however, my heart and mind kept telling me to leave for Lubbock. To the best of my ability, I switched my appointments around for the afternoon in between the workshop sessions. I was getting updates from Josie, so my cell phone never got turned off; HELL NO was I turning off my phone. I wrote down as much as I could during the various sessions to remind myself of things being reviewed by the different presenters. Normally, I would remember everything, but I was not so cognizant, for obvious reasons. I decided to take notes for later reference when I actually began tutoring my own students.
Around 12:25 pm, I managed to get my noon appointments (the ones I had switched around) completed. All which included meeting with the Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) sponsor at the SimLife Center, depositing more checks at the cashier's office for our PTK Club, meeting with my Student Adviser, filing an "Letter of Intent" to graduate in May 2016, checking the status of my scholarships with Financial Aid, buying most of the textbooks I would need at the college bookstore, and finally, meeting with the Student Services Secretary at the Student Center to secure a new meeting location for PTK meetings this semester. I wrote down all the things I had to do before I could leave for Lubbock perhaps as a way to console myself for not being able to drop everything to be with my family when I first heard of Anthony's accident. Believe me, I felt guilty for not being able to cancel everything that day. I will add that I did not complete any of the tasks without feelings of self-doubt, apprehension, and guilt. I wanted to be with my family really badly from the 'get go.' I am also a highly responsible person who does not feel right about reneging on things or people or about canceling or rescheduling things. Everything I do is important. So, getting everything done before leaving helped me to focus on what was happening. I needed to get every pensive (and prior arranged) task/commitment done in order for me to just fully be able to concentrate on being there for Anthony and especially for Alex who is (and always has been) like a daughter to me. I would lay down my life for her.
Around 12:28 pm, after several more text messages between Josie, Sara, and me, I called Sara, and we started the conversation about when to to leave for Lubbock. I actually told Sara that I was free to leave and wanted to head out. She understood how I felt, but asked me to wait for her. She did not want me driving alone for a variety of reasons. Trust me, I had already made plans to drive to Lubbock on my own if needed. Had it not been for the prior commitments of the day, I would have left to MMH from the beginning to be with Alex and Josie. Sara agreed to drive to Lubbock with me as soon as she was able to complete a few more work-related audits around town.
At 1:00 pm, I drove to the Centennial Library (the Cent) and waited as patiently as I could.
At 1:03 pm, I texted Josie from the Cent that Sara and I were planning to head out as soon as Sara was free from work. I took advantage of the time at the Cent to complete several emails that required my immediate attention. In a way, I was thankful for the distraction and ability to rest my mind a little bit.
At 1:28 pm, Sara called and said she was almost finished and for me to meet her at the house, so we could leave for Lubbock. I finished up what I was doing and headed home.
At 1:41 pm, I texted Josie that we are definitely heading up to Lubbock.
By 2:00 pm, Sara gets home. We don't take time to pack anything we needed. We figured we would come home later that night. She has a p/t job on Saturdays at 3:00 am, so she definitely needed to come back home. I said I would come back with her and help her with the p/t gig.
2:15 pm, I fed Caty (my wonderful, magnificent cat), turned off whatever electronics did not need to be on, turned on the new security alarm system, and communicated with several people inquiring about Anthony. I realize the headache I have is not just because of the chaotic turn of events and the myriad of appointments I have had to keep, the massive headache stems from hunger. I ate breakfast at 7:30 am, but failed to eat lunch. Duh. Sara kindly stops at the drive thru at Mickey D's, and we pick up food. She's had lunch, so this stop was more for me. I usually don't do well when I am hungry. I am what my family (esp Sara) calls "a bear!" I get angry and mean when I am hungry. Today was the lone exception. I was not angry and mean, but I was starting to act loopy and stupid. Hunger does a body bad.
At about 4:05 pm, Sara and I are finally in Lubbock. I text Josie to let her know we are there. I asked if they needed anything before we arrived at UMC. She replies that they are fine, but Alex is hungry. My niece Alex is like me when it comes to hunger. Besides, the love of her life has been in a life-threatening accident, and Alex is beside herself; Josie and I decided Alex needs to eat. My family of three (Josie, Alex, and Jabier) have been dealing with the issue all day long (along with the two hour drive) and none of them have eaten, but everyone is concerned mostly for Alex's well being.
4:18 pm, Sara gets us to Whataburger and I ordered food for "my Alex!" The employees were so fucking slow. I just wanted to jump the counter to make the chicken strip combo I had ordered for "my Kenickie" myself. BTW, "Kenickie" is my nickname for Alex since she was born. I remember driving down from San Antonio to Midland to meet Alex for the first time when she was a mere two-weeks old. It was love at first sight for me and the endearing moniker of "Kenickie" was born. Pardon the pun. Alex is like the daughter I never had. The "apple of my eye."
4:29 pm the food is FINALLY ready at Whataburger, so Sara and I are back on the road towards UMC. I text Josie to find out which entrance leading into the hospital is best. Sara and I know our way around Lubbock really well. Esp Sara. We have been to UMC several times. I just wanted to make sure we were headed to the right wing of the hospital since they are undergoing a lot of renovations.
At 4:42 pm, we are at UMC and minutes away from seeing my family and getting an update about Anthony.
4:45 pm, we enter the Operating Room (OR) waiting room. Alex is there by herself. Josie and Jabier have gone outside to meet Sara and me. To add, it turns out that Anthony's brother from Austin has also just arrived at UMC, so their mom is somewhere outside the hospital waiting for him. The hospital is large and weird to maneuver through. It is a labyrinth of sorts. I go looking for my sis and bro-in-law right after giving Alex her food, giving her the biggest hug ever, telling her how much I love her, and getting the latest update on Anthony: the love of her life.
I have no recorded details of the events after arriving at UMC. I will merely write about things to the best of my "rememory." "Rememory" is what I titled one of my sci fi short stories; it is a term I coined as a little kid from my love of sci fi and fantasy. Or maybe it was because I could not pronounce "memorization." Anyway...TBC
