Mission 248

Mission 247 | View All Mission Reports | Mission 249

Departure:
Tampa, Florida

Arrival:
Peoria, Illinois

Date:
Friday July 19, 2013

Mission Report

Jon Z is 29 years old and went to a wedding in St. Pete Florida and then was on his way to the airport to fly home to Illinois when a woman driver coming the wrong direction down the interstate hit him head on. He wasn’t restrained and was ejected from the car suffering a near total L arm amputation along with L leg, rib and lumbar fractures and ruptured spleen. He was in critical condition in surgery when his wife Nicole got the call. She had not gone with him because of a high risk pregnancy only 5 months along.

She had to fly down to be by his side. Amazingly God pulled Jon through the severe blood loss in surgery and had protected this soon-to-be new father from head and spinal cord injury.

Jon is a brick layer by trade. His L upper arm bone was temporarily stabilized and the wound was cleaned out twice but he still had great risk of losing his arm as infection set in.

His wife and family knew he needed to get home to be near his support system and also back to the surgeon who could help him. They knew a paramedic from Grace on Wings and contacted us. We flew down Friday to get him.

When we arrived he was getting his wound vac changed-his wound looked like some I’ve seen from lectures from Military personnel from IED’s. His wife Nicole couldn’t watch.

I left the room to speak to her and be sure she was OK to fly. Her pregnancy had been threatened by placenta previa but she was doing well. It’s amazing how God equips us when we need Him.

We flew with Jon facing the opposite way so we could monitor his pulse closely in his L arm. He did well will a good amount of pain medication. I was amazed when we arrived at the hospital and how his family and church family had gathered and was displaying the true “body of Christ”. They were praying and crying and loving on Jon and Nicole. His sister was a nurse there and had prepared his room. We even had someone take us and our equipment back to the airport to save them that extra cost.

Jon was in surgery again Saturday and it is still uncertain if he will be able to keep his arm. We pray that God provides the miracle to allow him to recover and hold his new baby in his arms.

Thanks to the great crew of Hal, Dr Jim, Eric, and Mike for serving in this mission.

Tam

 

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