Chapter 3 The Jaws of Life

Lying there limp and nearly lifeless, I was told that my four year old son, Ches, was out of the car walking around when the ambulance arrived. Thankfully, he sustained no physical injuries. Conversely, he saw EVERYTHING. He saw Gabi with blood streaming down her face and her tears as she was in terrific pain from a broken nose and femur. He heard all the moans and saw all the carnage. He suffered from that mental anguish. They call it Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Gabi, three, was in a body cast for two months, but she was quite tenacious as she learned to walk around in that full-body armor! How precious they were! And, how awesome they are now.

When the ambulance arrived, they realized that I had a neck injury and so did I. I mentioned that I was in clinicals in Radiologic Technology. Our wreck was on a,Tuesday, but on Monday i was working in the emergency room x-ray department. I had just rotated into this area not long before. On Monday morning, there had been a car accident in town and they brought the patient in to have a C-spine clearance. That's x-rays to make sure the c-collar can safely be removed and there are no neck injuries. On Monday, the patient was cleared...on Tuesday, I was the patient and I didn't clear.

I remember telling them not to move me and put a collar on me. I cannot describe the pain. It was so isolated to my neck. I didn't hurt anywhere else. I had a dislocated elbow and broken wrist, but the only pain I felt was in my neck. The closest anology I can give is to imagine being stabbed in the neck with a red-hot poker! Excruciating! The EMT and paramedics were so careful not to move me an inch without securing my neck, but we ran into a snag...my door was smashed shut from the front side. They had to extract me from the car. Can you say Jaws of Life?

Have you ever felt trapped? Either in a situation or in your heart and mind? Isaiah 61:1-3 tells us that Jesus came to set us free. In essence, Christ is your Jaws of Life. Being removed from that crushed vehicle was piercingly painful, I can assure you. If you feel that your life has crashed in around you and you feel no hope, Jesus Christ can pull you out of the wreckage. It will not be easy. It will not be painless, but it will be worth it!