I thought that day was going to be a normal and cheerful day over at my parents’ friends house in Fort Wayne.  We all went to the huge mall, and then we went to Casa Mare, an Italian restaurant, to eat.  When we went back to their friends’ house, my mom received a call.  The caller said, “Hello, Lori?  Are you sitting down because you might want to sit down?  We have some shocking news for your family.  Casey Geren has been in a terrible car accident in Toledo.”  My mom said, “Casey has been in a bad car accident, but I don’t know any other details about it though.”  My mom called the hospital, and the nurse told my mom that Casey had been rushed to emergency surgery.  They would not tell us anything else until we arrived at the hospital.  So distressed she couldn’t even talk, my grandma checked her phone every five minutes.  However, she never heard anything else about Casey.  My grandpa was so worried and quiet the whole drive to Toledo.  I could tell from their actions that the situation was horrible. 

On our way to the Toledo Hospital on a very dark and starry night, I thought about Casey.  Casey, my uncle, a 6-foot, brown hair, blue eyes, skinny man had been in a car accident. Terrified that he wouldn’t be okay, I worried that he wouldn’t be able to do the activities we loved to do together.  When we arrived at the hospital, the nurse said, “Casey is still in surgery, and we don’t know how long the surgery will last.”  He had a broken hip, two broken ankles, a broken leg, and a broken neck.  He was in very devastating shape.  Terribly afraid, I couldn’t even sleep in the hospital where the rest of my family slept.  I kept saying to myself, ‘He’ll be okay.  Our lives will all go back to normal soon, and Casey will be okay.’  Soon it grew cold in the hospital.  It felt like I was in a freezer, but instead I laid on a small couch with a red blanket on top of me.  I was still a nervous mess.   My whole family prayed multiple times for Casey, in hope that he would be okay and back to normal in no time.
    

My uncle was driving a tiny little bright blue Geo Metro.  The car had been torn up, twisted, tangled, and totaled in the accident.  The whole driver’s side was completely smashed in, and they had to use the Jaws of Life to take off the driver’s door.  Pinned in the car, Casey laid.  The gray car seats had been fully covered in glass and had many cuts in the front seats.  A sixteen-year old male fell asleep at the wheel because he played video games the whole night before.  The boy went from the farthest side of the highway to the complete other side of the highway.  That’s where he hit Casey head on.  This torn up car sat in my grandparent’s garage for what felt like years even though the car sat in the garage for only one year as a reminder of that horrible accident.  We could see many pictures of the accident that the police took at the hospital the next day.  My uncle’s best friend has a job of being a cop in Cleveland.  He told my parents that the officers must not have expected Casey to make it because of the amount of pictures they took.  After two days we were finally able to see Casey.  The friendly nurse said, “Casey is recovering right now, but you can come in and see him.  However, whoever comes back to Casey’s room has to be over 18.”  I couldn’t go back to see him.  When my mom, dad, grandma, and grandpa all went back, I was left alone.  Nervously, I kept thinking to myself, “They’ll be out soon.”  I was really petrified.  Then some older people came into the hospital and asked me if I knew how Casey was doing.  I really didn’t know how he was doing.  I didn’t even know who they were! 
    

Finally, my mom, dad, grandma, and grandpa all came out and told everyone that he was doing well.  He was recovering and needed his rest, so he couldn’t have any more visitors for that day.  I felt happier than I had been since going to the hospital and not knowing anything about how Casey was doing. 
    

About a week and a half later, he finally was transferred out of intensive care and into a small room where I could visit him.  He was in the hospital about six weeks total.   He had to learn how to walk again, and he had to use a wheelchair, walker, and then a cane before he could go home.  Since the car accident, Casey has learned how to do what he used to do but in different ways.  He still walks with a mild limp to this day, but I am so thrilled that he’s alive and a big part of my life.  Casey’s my hero.  I learned that if I put my trust in God, he will never give me more than I can handle.  I have also learned that life is a roller coaster filled with many ups and downs.  I must trust God through all of the ups and downs and know he has a plan for me.  These are definite life lessons that I still believe strongly in today.