Football '96
Oct.31, 1999 - One week before the accident
With his sister 6 days before the accident.
Erlanger ICU nurses
Young Life
Return visit
Shepherds Therapy
Nurses
Nurses
Last day
Elise & Erick
Family
Brandy
More friends
Going Home
Erick singing at his sister's wedding 6 months after the accident.
1 year later
w/Brandy in Las Vegas
Erick, Brandy, Daddy after Brandy's UT graduation 2001.
Erick, March 2001
Erick and Brandy's Wedding Pictures
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The Miracle of Erick's Life November 6, 1999, 8:15am. by Donald Shirley, Erick's Dad So often in my life, I had looked forward to my next day off from work or wished that vacation time would hurry and arrive. How foolish to wish life away! For 20 years, 7 months, and 14 days, I had enjoyed having a son. Enjoyed, but, God forgive me-- took it for granted and did not cherish each individual day until the days following November 6, 1999. On November 6, 1999, my son came very close to leaving this earth. I received the phone call at 8:35 am. and was told of Erick's accident. Not knowing if he would be alive when Debbie and I arrived at the hospital; well, I would not wish that on anyone. Even though I hated to hear my son's cries of pain and to see his blood on the sheets as we entered the emergency room, I was selfishly glad to hear his voice and rejoiced in his survival. The worst of his condition was not yet apparent to me. He had broken his left femur in 3 places, broken both legs between the knee and ankle, had a serious compound fracture to his lower left leg, (this injury came close to claiming his life over the next few days), and his left ankle was crushed, not allowing any blood flow into his foot. His lungs were bruised and he had a bruised spleen. He received an injury to his spine in the lower neck area and, most seriously, had a bleed on the right frontal lobe of his brain. Around 2 pm., after stabilizing Erick, the doctors allowed us back in to see Erick before they took him into surgery. The doctors described Erick's situation to us and, as Erick was wheeled out for surgery, Debbie and I said what I feared could be our last goodbye to our little boy. Standing there at his side, Debbie and I both choked out "I love you son", and Erick responded in a barely audible voice, "I love you too." How I wished that I could have all the inconsequential days of my life back that I had not deposited into my memory bank. Debbie and I were there for all of his firsts. His first tooth, his first words, his first steps, his first day of school; every day of his life we had been there with him. How I would have done anything to have some of the grains of sand that had passed through the hour glass of time, that I had wasted, in order to give those days to Erick in an effort to extend the life that he was barely clinging to. How many years could the next 8 hours take? We waited for word of the surgery for what seemed like an eternity. Hundreds of friends, I am told, came to the hospital upon hearing of the accident. Erick's sister, Elise, and her fiancé, Phil, arrived around 9 pm. from New York. We still have not heard word from the doctor. Finally, the phone is for me. It is Dr. Perkins with news from the operating room. The good news is that Erick survived surgery and the doctors have successfully nailed his femur back together. The other news is that he is not getting blood to his left foot. The doctors had put dye in his blood and found one artery severed by the compound fracture and the others crushed by the ankle injury. All in all, it was a successful surgery. Dr. Perkins tells me that they will do further surgery on Monday morning to try to save his left foot. Did I sleep that night? I think so. Yes, I must have because Saturday ended and Sunday arrived, but I do not remember sleeping. The time between Saturday morning and Sunday morning seemed like years. At 5:30 am. we are allowed to see Erick in ICU. He is responding some but can only move his right side and never opens his eyes. He has tubes going down his throat and the doctors are concerned because the muscle and tissue in his left leg is dying and poisoning his kidneys. The doctors are also concerned about the paralysis on the left side and fear trauma to the artery in his neck leading to his brain. The doctor seems delighted to see Erick respond, when asked to do so, upon being tapped on the upper chest. Erick's blonde hair is matted with blood, and he has dried blood on his face and nose. He has one stitch in his left cheek and we are told that he had also broken his nose and his left cheekbone. All in all, Erick looks good to me and I am thankful that he is looking so good. We do not see Erick anymore until that night because he is having MRI's and tests. During the day, we move our stuff into the ICU waiting room for what will be our home for the next three weeks. I get to know Brandy, Erick's girlfriend, and her mom. We are overwhelmed by the amount of people who come by to check on Erick and to offer their prayers. That night we hear good news, that the artery to his brain is okay. Erick's face is cleaned up, but his hair is still matted with blood. The visit of 30 minutes flies by and we must say goodnight. In the morning, Erick is supposed to have more surgery, but events change and the surgery does not happen. Over the next 24 hours, so many things happen that I cannot remember exactly how everything transpired. During the night, Sunday, Erick's brain began to swell. We found out sometime early in the morning, around 7 am., I think. The first thing I think about is of how our friend Mark had died some years back when his brain began to swell due to a stroke. "God, it is in your hands. Please spare my son for me. Lord, help me to be strong for Debbie and Elise." I try to control my thoughts, but am faced with the prospect that Erick may not survive. I think, where would we bury him? Who could I get to pick out a burial spot? I pray, "God, please don't let the casket yet be made that my son will someday be buried in. God, please do not even let the tree from which the wood to build that casket yet be growing. God, Erick professes to know Jesus as his Savior. I trust that Jesus will acknowledge knowing Erick if he is to face You today." I am given instant peace about Erick's soul and have a feeling of confidence that God will allow Erick to survive and live. The reality is sinking in, this the third day after the accident. Three days, an eternity. "God, I know if Erick were to die, many people would be touched and maybe some would come to know you through their grieving, but Lord, I know that if he lives, he will touch more lives in a positive way for you." I really do not feel up to seeing anyone but am appreciative at the outpouring of love and prayers I see for my son. It is still Monday? What will our lives be like at Christmas? It is Monday morning still. It can't be. The doctor tells us the situation and that Erick needs to be put into a deep coma so that his brain can... well whatever the brain needs to do. The doctor says that they need to put a bolt through Erick's skull so they can monitor his brain pressure. The doctor explains that the cerebral spinal fluid is not flowing due to the swelling and that this is very serious. The doctor also asks permission to install a swan catheter, which they would insert into Erick's lower neck into a vein down through the right atrium and right ventricle of Erick's heart into the pulmonary artery leading to his lungs, so that they could monitor his blood gases. "Of course doctor, you know what's best; we trust you." It is still Monday morning; no, it can't be. Minutes pass slower than hours and hours seem like weeks. I wish time had passed at this speed when Erick and Elise were babies. After we return to the waiting area, the hospital chaplain seeks us out and offers the chapel to us if we need a place to pray. The fact that she came seeking us bothers me and makes me feel that the doctors must be worried that Erick will not make it. The chaplain expresses her concern for us and lets us know that she is there if we need her. However, I know that we did not have to go to the chapel to pray for Erick. God does not limit himself to only those places. I am thankful that I can take my prayers to God at any time and from any place. Somehow, afternoon arrives, then evening and finally night. We get to see Erick for a brief moment from the door of his trauma room and see all the new equipment that is installed around him in an effort to save his life. We are told that we cannot touch Erick or talk to him because his brain does not need to be stimulated. The bolt in his skull is wrapped with brown gauze and appears like a little party hat on his head. His body is swollen like... like a balloon. He looks fake. Our time is up, and we must depart with the painful pictures in our heads of Erick laying there in a coma. Did I eat today? I'm sure I did, mom has been here all day. Did I sleep that night? Yes, I think so. Yes, I'm sure I did because time passed at a faster rate. We start searching for word of how Erick is doing early Tuesday morning. I am comforted in the fact that no news is good news. God gives me peace that each day will be better than the one before, and God was right, of course. Some time Tuesday morning we hear that Erick is stable and that his brain pressure is under control. "Halleluiah!" We get to see Erick again at 10:30 am. visitation, but cannot touch him or talk to him. We can only stand and stare and pray. And pray we do. The doctor talks to me and fills me in on Erick's condition. Something has to be done about his left leg below his knee soon because the dying muscle is causing his kidneys to fail. They must do surgery as soon as possible but his condition is really too bad to do surgery. They decide to do surgery first thing Wednesday morning in order to cut away the dead muscles and tissue in the leg. The doctor says that hopefully they can do this and still save the leg but saving the leg was secondary. We see Erick 3 times on Tuesday. Each time we stand there in silence, watching the respirator breathe for him, watching the computer screens full of numbers and moving graphs, trying to interpret what the data means. Erick's hands appear as if someone blew up some rubber gloves and attached them as hands. Due to all the equipment at his bedside, we can only stand as close to his head as his mid-section. My mind asks, "God, is his soul in there?" Standing at his left side, I notice the foul stench of his decaying leg. Erick's hair has been washed and the front half of his head is shaved, leaving his long blond hair only on the back part in the style of a 19th century Chinaman. Our hearts bid him good night and I feel a peace that Erick is in good care and that all will be well. That night, I go home for a shower and to check on things. As I drive to the house I question the peace my heart is feeling and ask God to spare Erick's life again as I have done so many times over the last few days. I feel guilty for asking God to spare Erick for me. Am I being selfish? Why can't I be selfish? As I take my shower, I ponder Erick's life as it will be in the future. Somehow, I cannot envision any long-term effects of the accident. I can only picture Erick as he was before the accident. As I drive back to the hospital, I worry about not being able to envision Erick a year from now. I wonder if the peace my heart feels is God comforting me in preparation of Erick's death. "But God, I don't want to lose him." At this point, I give in to the possibility of Erick dying and tell God, "If it is to be, Lord, please help me. Lord, please don't let me be bitter. Lord, I am so honored that you choose to give me Erick for the past 20 years as my son. Thank you, God, for creating Erick and for Erick's life." A part of me wanted to make some sort of deal with God in exchange for Erick's life but I did not feel that God wanted to deal. You know, I bet that trying to make a deal would be insulting to God. "God, you gave me Erick and trusted me with his raising, and for that I am truly grateful. If it is time to claim Erick's soul, Lord, I'll do my best to understand." Wednesday morning arrives and we get word that the doctors have decided to do the surgery on Erick in his trauma room because his condition is too bad to take him to an operating room. This surgery takes all morning and goes past noon. Due to Erick's surgery, no one is allowed into ICU at 10:30 am. visitation to see any of the other patients. They open a consultation room next to the ICU for us to wait for word of Erick's surgery. It is comforting to know that we are close to Erick. In the small room with Debbie and me are Elise, Brandy, my Mom, my sister Frankie, my brother-in-law Marty, and a few others in and out. I'm sorry to those who were there and not mentioned above. The time is like a dream in my memory, now. All of the support and prayers; I am eternally grateful for. I'm not sure what time surgery was over, but we received word that the doctor was finished and would be out to talk to us soon. In my heart, I was preparing for the worst news so that I could be strong for my family. The nurse comes in with the doctor and she has tears in her eyes. The doctor explains that they were able to stop the present danger to Erick's kidneys. They had to cut away a whole lot of Erick's leg muscle and tissue and there wasn't enough left to be able to save his leg. He explained that Erick's condition wasn't stable enough to do an amputation right then. As the doctor told us that Erick would need his left leg amputated below the left knee, the shock of the situation seemed to hit everyone like a ton of bricks. Everyone except Debbie and me. I was rejoicing that Erick was alive; who cares about a leg. To me, the news was new hope. They had eliminated at least one of the life threatening afflictions. I consent to the amputation and the doctor says they will try to do it on Friday morning. After the nurses get Erick cleaned up, we are allowed to see him. Again, we stand in silence, praying for his healing. We get to visit him again at the 8:30pm and again stand by his bedside in silence. The respirator does the breathing and we watch the monitors and pray for Erick. Thursday is a day of rejoicing. Erick's brain pressure is still being controlled and we get so much encouragement from friends. At visitation, we are allowed to speak to Erick and touch him. The doctors are slowly bringing him out of his coma for the surgery the next morning. Elise and Phil are with us and I appreciate them. Phil has become the entertainment to many in the waiting room and he befriends many who are there with loved ones in ICU. Phil is such a special guy and I am thankful that God has brought him into Elise's life. Word passes quickly among Erick's friends and all of those who are praying for him as he faces his amputation. Several dozen friends go to Blood Assurance and give blood in Erick's name. What love! How can I ever express the love I have for you who love my son? In the early afternoon, Margaret Arant from Moms In Touch, a prayer group from The McCallie School, comes by to pray for Erick. Margaret prays for the healing blood of Jesus to heal Erick and proclaims from the Bible, Malachi 4 verse 2, "But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall." During this time of prayer, we experience the first of many miracles. Phil has his eyes open and is watching the monitors as Margaret prays. Phil notices that all the numbers on the monitors are improving. Erick's blood pressure becomes normal, his brain pressure drops to the normal range, and we all feel the presence of the Holy Spirit. As Margaret ends her prayer, Phil tells us to look at the monitors. We rejoice and Phil, seeing the power of the Holy Spirit, becomes a believer. The agony of Erick's accident is suddenly worth it. "Thank you God, for revealing yourself to Phil." Everything that happened on Thursday is an encouragement. The doctors tell us of all they hope to accomplish during Friday morning's surgery. We sign the consent forms for the amputation. We also consent for a tracheotomy so that the respirator tubes would not have to go down his open mouth, as they currently were, and for a feeding tube to be put directly into Erick's stomach. That evening, my brother, Tom, and his wife, Rita, come by and bring Erick's belongings from his wrecked Blazer. Tom had gone by and taken the pictures that now appear on this web site, and gathered everything that he could get out of the vehicle. Rita had washed the clothes that were in the vehicle and folded them neatly. On top of the clothes was Erick's Bible. The Bible had pieces of glass and gravel between several pages as a reminder that God was there with Erick as he was having the wreck. I took the Bible and opened it. The Bible opened to one of the first few pages in the Bible on which Erick had written a note. THE NOTE, IN ERICK'S HANDWRITING SAID............Pray, God will provide. Under this, Erick had referenced .........Job 2:10, which states, "Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?"....... Wow, I felt as if Erick had just spoken to me. "Thank you God, You are so good to me." Friday morning, we get to see Erick before he goes into surgery. I stand at his feet and pray for him and say goodbye to his exposed and very dark left foot. We go downstairs and wait for word of Erick's surgery. Al Goss, pastor of Mile Straight Baptist Church, comes by and prays with us. He prays for God to save not only Erick's life but his leg as well. "As a matter of fact," I think to myself, "hasn't anyone told this guy that the doctors said that there was no saving Erick's leg. That at this very moment his leg is being amputated." After the prayer, I thank him for coming by and resume my wait for word of Erick's condition. I had faith that God was sparing Erick's life, but had not entertained any thoughts of God performing another miracle by saving Erick's leg. I am now ashamed to say, I didn't even pray for Erick's leg to be saved. Erick's life was all I prayed for. At almost exactly an hour into Erick's surgery, Dr Norris called me from the operating room. This is a miracle!!! The doctor tells me the following... "Your prayers are being answered. When we got into Erick's leg, we could not believe what we were seeing. He has more muscle and tissue in the wound area than we remember leaving him on Wednesday. We feel the leg can be saved and we are not going to have to amputate it." Here I was, with all eyes on me and I am expected to relay this news to everyone. I cannot remember how I choked out my rejoicing and the good news because I was so emotional and awed that God had performed another miracle. The doctor continued telling me how they were going to have to restore some blood flow into Erick's foot and that the surgery now was going to focus on repairing both legs that were broken below the knee and to rebuild his crushed left ankle. It was a wonderful moment in my life. The surgery was over 8 hours long, and the doctors were able to do everything that was on their hope-for list. We were able to see Erick that night, and for the first time in a week, I felt like eating something and getting some sleep. Everyday, from here on, we experienced some progress in Erick's condition. On Saturday, he was fluttering his eyes in response to our voices, but not opening them. On Sunday, Erick opened his eyes, but could only look straight ahead. On Monday, Erick would close his eyes and then reopen them slowly with them aimed to one side or the other in order to see who was there. As his eyes opened fully, they would center straight ahead, unable to stay turned in our direction. On Tuesday, Erick would slowly move his eyes in the direction of the person talking to him. All this time, the news wasn't always good, but I knew that Erick was going to make it. There was a great deal of concern that Erick was not moving any part of his body and not responding to pain. There was a fear that Erick was possibly quadriplegic. But each day saw improvement. After a few more days, Erick could move his right leg a little. Each day he could move a little more. Soon he was moving his head from side to side looking at us as we visited. He did this so much that his neck became chafed and this would get a response of pain from Erick's face. One day, while talking to the nurse about Erick's condition, I saw his toes move on his left foot. This, the foot that was almost amputated and which the doctors had said that he would never be able to move his toes with. Thanksgiving day arrived and Erick was still in ICU, but he was now showing silent emotions of happiness as he had visitors. He still was unable to move his arms or hands, but he had the leg movement down real well in the right leg and was moving the left some. On Saturday after Thanksgiving and 3 weeks after the accident, Erick was moved out of ICU and into IMCU. He now had a private room and we could stay with him 24 hours a day. PRAISE THE LORD. We decorated his room with pictures and placed several on his ceiling so that it would be easy for him to see them. Over the next 10 days, he was slowly weaned off the respirator and his tracheotomy. On one of the last evenings that Erick was at Erlanger, a large group of students with Young Life came to the hospital to sing to Erick. We appreciated this so much. What a moment of rejoicing. On Dec. 6th, one month to the day after the accident, Erick was transferred to Shepherd's hospital in Atlanta for rehab. He was put in the Acquired Brain Injury Unit. This is where we learn that Erick's inability to move his arms and hands and not speak were related to his brain injury. Over the next 5 weeks, Erick had to learn who he was, where he was, how to eat, how to talk, and how to walk. I am amazed at how this recovery went. On January 10, 2000, Erick was able to leave Shepherds with the ability to feed himself and walk with the use of a walker. By mid March, he was no longer using a walker. He returned to work in late March, working at Ruby Falls. Ronnie Burke was super to work with Erick, and having this job helped Erick regain his self-esteem. By late April, Erick was cleared by Siskin's Rehab Hospital to drive, upon passing a reflex test, and we started working with him over the next few months on his driving. (What a scary moment for us when we finally allowed Erick to drive without one of us present.) In May, Erick registered for 7 hours of courses at Dalton State College, and passed both classes. On May 28th, Erick was a groomsman on Elise's wedding alter and sang at the wedding!!! In June, Erick and Brandy became engaged. In August, Erick left home again for college in Knoxville at Pellissippi State. In Knoxville, Erick had his own apartment and was soon working 2 jobs. School and work loaded Erick down but he rose to the challenge again. Instead of sitting home and whining about his situation, Erick moved forward with his life. In December, 13 months after his accident, Erick had one last surgery to correct some problems that he was having with his left foot. On June 8, 2002, Erick and Brandy were married. I was Erick's best man. (I think it should be noted that Brandy stuck with Erick through all the trying times. This speaks volumes about her magnificent character and eternally endears my heart to her. Yes, God has blessed us with a wonderful daughter-in-law). In early July, Brandy entered the Air Force and went to Maxwell Air Force Base for officer's training. And as another exclamation mark to God's great work in Erick's life -- Erick and Brandy had a son, John, on May 4, 2004 and a daughter, Georgia Ann, on February 10, 2006. While serving our country in the Air Force, Brandy had a three year assignment in Hawaii. While living in Hawaii, Erick completed a Bachelor's Degree in Biology. The pursuit of his bachelor's degree kept Erick busy and presented him with many challenges. The important thing is that, when faced with these challenges, Erick hung in there. Erick has a winning attitude and has expressed to me his gratitude that God gave him life. For me, Erick's dad, I cannot begin to express the joy I feel in knowing God's love and experiencing God's mercy and witnessing God's miracles. Everyday of the rest of my life, I shall be thankful for both of my children, for my wife, and for the life that God has created for me. Thank you, Almighty God.
Where to look in times of need My advice to anyone going through something similar to this is to pray in faith. Romans 8:26 tells us, "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express”.
***************************************************************************************************** Click here to read Erick's testimonial written 3 years after the accident Click here to read a letter to Erick written by his sister shortly after the accident Email me at ericksdad23@netscape.net
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