Dismiss Modal

Head Trauma

Submitted by Laura Walker

The last day of kindergarten for my daughter Emily was May 23, 1996. She had a softball game that afternoon, and we all were excited about the last day of school and last ballgame. Her daddy was in charge of picking her up, but during their afternoon, they crossed paths with a train. The train hit the vehicle on Emily's side, where she was pinned in the door with the weight of a locomotive holding her head between the two. Had the ambulances not been only one block away, she would have suffocated, but she was cut free of the wreckage in time. Emily sustained extremely serious head injuries. The local hospital took care of her until Children's jet could be sent to Andalusia to get her. She spent four or five days in PICU at Children's. Our miracle child was saved by the way in which her skull had been broken - this had allowed her brain to swell without any damage to itself. She developed a yeast infection in her blood that was picked up from some unknown source, and the special team of Children's doctors treated her for this infection. This serious infection is actually what kept her in the hospital for an extra week or so. The doctors provided by Children's Hospital took excellent care of Emily. This is an extremely abbreviated account of what happened - so many miracles came out of this whole experience, but there are too many to share in this small space. The care received by my daughter Emily was immeasurable. I'm so thankful that Alabama has a top-notch care facility close to home where unquestionably the best care was given to my child. I believe Children's Hospital's staff provided the care she needed to live, and I will always be grateful for God taking care of her and providing the Hospital with the staff and their knowledge needed to allow me to have her here with me now. Emily is in her senior year of high school now, and will graduate exactly 12 years to the day from the accident. Thank you!