Dismiss Modal

Head Injuries

Five years ago our family was enjoying a normal Sunday when Jake Nummy our 13 year old was out in the field behind the house riding his four wheeler like both of our boys did all the time. Jake’s ride ended up changing our lives for ever. He flipped the four wheeler and it landed on his head. He was air lifted to Children's Hospital in Birmingham, AL. We were told that he may not make it to the Hospital with the type of head injury he sustained. The second we arrived at Children’s Hospital we were treated as if we were the only people in that Hospital. I could not believe the attention we received from the beginning to the end. Dr. Wellons did the first surgery that night. We asked if he would pray with us and it was a blessing that he accepted. After the surgery it was touch and go for over a week. More surgeries were done in the next month. Jake was in a coma for 29 days and the doctors didn't give any of us much hope of the abilities that Jake would have when he would, or if he would, come out of the coma state that he was in during this time. During the 29 days that he was in the coma he was in the ICU with nurses that were so understanding of my needs as a mother. I felt so blessed to have each nurse that cared for Jake. I was not able to stay with Jake in the hospital, but stayed at the Ronald McDonald House where family members of patients stayed. The day that he started to wake up all of the nurses and other staff at the ICU was just as happy as we were to see Jake coming back. Not long after that Jake threw a ball on command, something that no one thought he would ever be able to do with this type of head injury. Soon after that Jake improved more and more. He was able to move to the special unit for about a week. And, then we went to a room. I knew that I was going to miss all the help we received in the ICU and Special Units. I was able to stay in the room with him and I had no idea how much work we had in front of us. Jake had a broken leg that was casted from his toe to the top of his leg. The right side of his body was not able to move due to the head injury, but boy the left side could do as much as it ever could. He still had a lot of tubes and IVs that were in him. I would sleep with Jake to keep him from pulling out any of the IVs and other tubs. It took two of us each day and night we were in the hospital to tend to him. Myself with my mother, my mother or sister in-law to tend to Jake. The nurses also helped above and beyond the call of their work. Angels were over each nurse that was with us during the stay at the hospital. Therapy started and was able to leave the hospital after a long stay of another six weeks. We were ready to go home but didn’t what to leave the staff that had become family with in the last few months that we were at Children’s Hospital. Jake went home when we never thought he would be alive after that long Sunday we arrived at Children’s Hospital. We have a new Jake Nummy that we had to work very hard each and every day for the last five years. He came home not able to talk and in a wheel chair. Five years later he has learned to talk, walk, use his right arm and hand, read, and learn colors. We have been so blessed and give all the glory to God and the doctors and staff at Children’s Hospital. We are so blessed to have Children’s Hospital in Birmingham, AL less than two hours away. All the staff members that are at Children’s Hospital truly must be hand picked with very special qualities for dealing with the pain that parents and children are undergoing when they are the sickest. Words could never express how the staff made us feel during the time we have spent at Children’s Hospital. They are all angels.