GRAHAM AND RANDI’S STORY
The summer of 2010 started like any other here at the Word of Life Ranch, with campers, guests, horses, lessons, and, of course, the Rodeo! It was a beautiful night with fast horses and lots of kids and families watching. All was going well – until it wasn’t. My husband’s horse, Crockett, who he is riding tonight while making announcements, took an unexpected fall while lassoing a cow. Graham fell with his horse and, in the process, was knocked unconscious.
He was rushed away by ambulance and airlifted to Albany Medical, where I was told he had sustained a broken back and a traumatic brain injury (aka TBI). After Graham had spent a couple weeks in the ICU and remained unresponsive, my family and I were given some difficult news to swallow: The doctors didn’t expect him to wake up. If he did, he’d most likely remain in a vegetative state. As you can imagine, we found ourselves in a very dark and difficult place. We had two small boys at the time (Wyatt, 2, and Keith, 11 months). Hearing news like this is the stuff nightmares are made from. How does one handle a tragedy like this? How can you get through the “what if’s” and scary moments like a traumatic brain injury, a cancer diagnosis, or another unexpected tragedy? I am not anyone special and definitely didn’t feel cut out to handle something like this. The
truth is – and please hear me out, as I’ve lived it – no one is cut out to handle the hard things life can throw at them. When tragedy strikes, people generally do one of two things: They run toward God, or they run away from Him. I experienced this firsthand. There were times I wanted to run, scream, cry, plead, and scream some more – I sometimes did those things as I walked the dark and scary road. BUT, I also knew I wasn’t alone. Ever. I experienced the personal relationship of Jesus Christ intimately walking with me as I sat watching Graham fight for his life with a machine breathing for him. Because of a decision I had made earlier in my life, I knew without a doubt Christ had come to this earth, died for me, didn’t stay dead, and was involved in my life in a minute-by-minute process. I can’t guarantee much, but I can guarantee this: Life is hard. With Christ, it’s still hard, but you aren’t alone, and you can have
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