There is no doubt that the power of medicine and science has advanced at an unstoppable pace during the last years. They’re our greatest allies when it comes to the preservation and knowledge of human health.
But sometimes, they’re fallible. What’s more, sometimes it even seems like forces outside of human control can overcome the limitations of human action and knowledge. Perhaps a lesson in humility from those forces? This story seems like one of those cases.
Taylor Hale was like any other teen: at 14 years of age, she had little worries in life. She was doing well at school, she had a family that loved her and a fun and tight crew of friends.
One day, she decided to join them for a football game. It was a sunny day in Waukee, Iowa, her hometown, and the summer vacation was right around the corner. Everyone was in a mood to have fun and enjoy the end of school days. No one expected anything bad to happen.
Some of her friends were playing in the football game, so there was great expectation about the result. It was a quite crucial game that would decide whether the home team would make a move towards the greater leagues or not.
Not only that: Taylor had a bit of a crush on one of the players, who was also her classmate. So she had reasons to be really excited about what the outcome of the game would be.
Luckily enough, her friend’s team won the game. They were one step closer to making it to the bigger leagues.
After the game, they all were euphoric, celebrating the victory and hanging out around the field. One of Taylor’s friends suggested going somewhere to have a toast for the local team, and Taylor happily agreed. If only she knew how her life was about to change forever.
But Taylor’s crush said he was tired from the game and had to study for his exams, so he had to go home. He was jokingly booed by the rest of the crew; still, he said he was sorry, but he really needed to study. He got in his car.
That was one Taylor and one of her friends, inebriated by the joy and excitement, did something that they would regret forever.
As their friend got into his car, they both climbed to the hood of the vehicle. It was a joking attempt to keep him from leaving, as they really wanted him to stay and celebrate with the rest of the crew.
At that moment, their friend unknowingly put the car in reverse and the vehicle moved. Taylor and her friend fell off the car and hit the ground.
Her friend just had some minor scratches, but the consequences were worse for Taylor. She banged her head against the pavement. Quickly, her friends alarmingly noticed that she had lost consciousness.
They immediately called an ambulance and Taylor’s parents. The young girl was rushed into the hospital minutes later.
At the hospital, the doctors were inspecting Taylor and trying to make an assessment. Her parents and friends were devastated at the waiting room. How could such a beautiful day have turned out so bad?
Finally, the doctors came out to inform the family of their conclusions.
Taylor had suffered a traumatic brain injury and had been induced into a coma to help her brain heal. But still, the prospects looked bleak. She was suffering from heavy brain hemorrhage and there was little that could be done at that point.
The doctors said that Taylor was officially brain dead for life, and coldly advised their family to start thinking about donating her organs and arranging her funeral. But that’s when a providential man stepped in.
It was Jeff Stickel, a chiropractor and devout Christian that was a friend of Taylor’s family. He had been told about Taylor’s accident and felt like he had no other choice but to visit her and pray for her.
And that’s what he did. He entered the room where Tayor rested, placed his hands on her neck and asked God to spare the young girl’s life.
Later that day, the doctors took Taylor off life support. But something incredible happened.
She didn’t flatline. She started breathing on her own. Quickly, the doctors put her back on life support. Nobody expected any improvement to happen, but it was actually happening. Could Taylor come back to her consciousness?
After a few hours, Taylor started showing signs of improvement. Her brain activity picked up, her eyelids moved and she was trying to talk.
Nobody could believe what was happening. Some hours ago, the doctors had said that the chances of her coming out of her coma were slim to none. But this seemed almost like a miracle.
Finally, Taylor got out of her coma. But her recovery didn’t end there: she spent the following months relearning how to do everything, from walking to talking.
Eventually, she was completely healthy and functioning again. All right after Jeff Stickel’s prayer. Maybe even thanks to it?
That’s what Taylor and her family seem to believe. Chuck, Taylor’s dad, told the papers: ‘It was the hand of God at work. That’s the only thing that can explain it’.
What Taylor herself said was this: ‘I’m always thankful to all the doctors and nurses and therapists who helped me get better, but God did most of the saving’.
After that, Taylor recovered most of her cognitive abilities, with only some impairments in long-term memory.
But she was able to resume her studies. She went back to school and started working hard to get into the Bachelor’s degree of her dreams: event management.