IT WAS A TYPICAL AFTERNOON

IN LATE SEPTEMBER

FOR DAVID CASTLEBERRY.

HE NEEDED TO MOW

THE LAWN AFTER WORK,

SO HE SENT 5-YEAR-OLD BRETT

INSIDE THE HOUSE.

DAVID WAS MOWING UNDER THE

PLASTIC PLAYHOUSE WITH

THE LAWN TRACTOR, AS HE USUSALLY DID,

WHEN HE REALIZED

SOMETHING WAS WRONG.

THE MOWER TRIED TO DIE.

I KNEW BY ME PUSHING IT,

IT SHOULDN'T BOG THE MOWER DOWN

LIKE THAT.

I LOOKED DOWN AND ALL I SEEN OUT

FROM UNDER THE MOWER WAS SPONGE

BOB CROCKS.

HIS WHOLE BODY WAS BETWEEN

THE WHEELS AND DECK.

I PICKED UP THE MOWER AN CHUNKED

IT OFF OF HIM.

I LOOKED DOWN AND NO SKIN

BETWEEN WRIST AND ELBOWS ON

EITHER ARM.

THE SKIN WAS WODED UP ON BOTH

SIDES AND I COULD SEE HIS LEFT

HAND HANGING.

IT WAS CUT, ALMOST IN HALF OR

MORE.

I PICKED HIM UP AND CARRIED HIM

ACROSS THE YARD AND A TRAIL OVER

THE SIDEWALK AND PORCH.

I THOUGHT I NEED HELP.

DAVID CALLED 911 ON HIS CELL

PHONE AND RAN TO HIS NEIGHBORS,

TIM AND JANICE HELMS FOR HELP.

WHEN I WAS RUNNING ACROSS THE

DRIVEWAY, HE STOOD UP YELLING

DADDY, IT HURTS.

TIM AND JANICE CAME

IMMEDIATELY.

THEY WEREN'T PREPARED FOR WHAT

THEY SAW.

FIRST THING I SAW WAS BRETT'S

FACE COVERED WITH DIRT AND MUD.

IT TOOK A SECOND TO COMPREHEND

WHAT IS WRONG WITH HIM.

WHEN I LOOKED DOWN I SAW HIS

ARMS.

IT LOOKED LIKE NOTHING WAS LEFT

HORRENDOUS LIKE YOU WOULD SEE IN

A HORROR MOVE VI.

HIS WRITES WAS FLOPPING.

I CARRIED HIM UP.

WE LAID ON THE PORCH AND TRIED

TO KEEP HIM CALM.

BRETT KEPT ASKING HOW IS MY DAD?

BRETT'S DAD HAS SECOND DEGREE

BURNS FROM TOUCHING THE MUFFLER

AT ONE POINT HE SAID I KILLED

MY SON.

I WAS SAYING HE IS ALIVE.

WORST CASE SCENARIO, IF HE LOSES

HIS ARMS, YOU HAVE YOUR SON

STILL.

JANICE TRYED TO KEEP DAVID

CALM.

HIS NEXT CALL WAS TO BRETT.

HE SAID I JUST RAN OVER BRETT

WITH THE MOWER.

WHILE ON THE WAY TO THE

HOSPITAL PAM SENT OUT A PRAYER.

I POSTED ON FACEBOOK PLEASE

PRAY FOR BRETT.

EVERYBODY POSTED IT ON THEIR

FACEBOOK, PLEASE PRAY FOR BRETT.

IT SPREAD LITERALLY LIKE WILD

FIRE.

AS THEY WAITED FOR THE

AMBULANCE, TIM AND JANICE

NOTICED SOMETHING UNUSUAL.

THIS IS A DEAD END ROAD NEW

YORK CITY ONE

NO ONE COMES ON THIS ROAD.

AT THE SCENE OF THE ACCIDENT

-- I NOTICED PEOPLE GATHERING

ACROSS THE STREET.

THERE WAS QUITE A FEW.

I WAS THINKING WHERE DID THEY

COME FROM?

AS THE AMBULANCE TOOK BRETT

AWAY, I REMEMBER SEEING NO MORE

PEOPLE.

BRETT WAS RUSHED TO THE

HOSPITAL.

THE MEDICAL TEAM STABILIZE HIM.

THE FIRST RESPONDER TOLD US

HE HAD TWO BROKE WRISTS.

THEY DID FULL BODY X-RAYS.

HE SAID MY ARMS ARE BROKEN.

I SAID YOUR ARMS ARE BROKEN.

HE SAID I SEE SEEN THE BONES, I

AM GOING TO GET CACTUSES.

BRETT WAS TRANSFERRED TO

ARKANSAS CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL FOR

EMERGENCY SURGERY.

DOCTORS REQUESTED TO AMPUTATE

HIS ARMS.

HE SAID HE WAS DOING OKAY AND

DIDN'T HAVE TO TAKE ANYTHING.

HE SAID HE DIDN'T KNOW HOW HE

SAVED WHAT HE DID.

I SAID HE WAS GUARDED BY ANGELS.

I DON'T THINK , I DON'T THINK

UNDER NORMAL CIRCUMSTANCES THEY

WOULD HAVE SAVED THAT MUCH OF

SOMEONE THAFLS CUT THAT BAD.

BRETT WAS TAKEN TO INTENSIVE

CARE AND STRUGGLED TO RECOVER

FROM THE TRAUMA.

ALL ANYONE COULD DO IS PRAY.

HE WAS SHAKING AND IT WAS

CAUSED BY HIS NERVES.

THEY BROUGHT IN A BIGGER BED AND

HE SAID DADDY GET UP.

HE SAID WHY.

HE SAID JESUS WANTS TO SIT DOWN.

BRETT STABILIZE, DOCTORS TOLD

HIM HE NEED NEED EXTENSIVE

SURGERIES, OVER A DOZEN BROKEN

BONES, SEVERED ARTERY AND

MASSIVE TISSUE LOSS.

THE THING I THINK OF THAT IS

THE MOST SIGNIFICANT WAS THE

DAMAGE THAT INVOLVED THE MUSCLES

AND TENDONS TO HIS ARMS.

HE HAD MUSCLES THAT BEND THE

FINGERS OR STRAIGHTENING THE

FINGERS COMPLETELY CUT.

SO MUCH SO THEY WERE NOT

REPARABLE.

SO MY THOUGHT LONG-TERM WAS THAT

I WAS GOING TO HAVE TO TAKE

TENDONS FROM OTHER PARTS OF HIS

BOOED DI AND MOVE THEM TO THE

ARM TO MAKE IT WORK.

PAM POSTED REGULAR UPDATES

ASKING FOR PRAYER.

BRETT'S PROGRESS EXCEEDED

EVERYONE'S EXPECTATIONS.

SHE SAID I DON'T KNOW WHAT

Y'ALL ARE DOING, KEEP IT UP.

IT IS WORKING.

TO US THAT MEANT KEEP UP THE

PRAYING, IT IS WORKING.

THEY TOLD US ON SEPTEMBER

25TH, PLAN ON SPENDING 30 DAYS,

MINIMUM.

12 DAYS LATER WE ROLLED HIM OUT

TO THE CAR.

OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS BRED

HAD RECONSTRUCTION SURGERIES AND

SKIN GRAPHS.

HOWEVER, DOCTORS WEREN'T SURE IF

HIS ARMS WOULD EVER FUNCTION.

I REMEMBER SAYING, CAN YOU

OPEN YOUR FINGERS, THINKING HE

SHOULDN'T BE ABLE TO DO THAT.

HE DID.

THEN SAYING, NOW BEND YOUR

FINGERS, AND HIM MAKING NEARLY A

FULL FIST.

I REMEMBER SHAKING MY HEAD AND

BLINKING AND SAYING DO THAT

AGAIN.

BEND YOUR FINGERS.

I KNOW THAT THE MUSCLES WERE CUT

THAT SHOULDN'T BE ABLE TO DO

THIS.

HOW IS HE DOING THIS?

MECHANICALLY IT SHOULDN'T WORK.

THE WAY YOUR FINGERS BEND YOU

HAVE A MUSCLE IN YOUR FOREARM

AND ATTACHED BY A TENDON AND

ROPE ATTACHED TO THE BONE IN THE

FINGER.

THE MUSCLE FIRES, PULLS ON THE

ROPE WHICH IS ATTACHED TO THE

FINGER.

YOU CAN IMAGINE IF THAT MUSCLE

ISN'T ATTACHED TO THE ROPE IT

SHOULDN'T WORK.

BUT IT DID.

IT WORKED.

I DON'T KNOW HOW.

IT WAS AMAZING.

BASED ON MY MEDICAL EXPERIENCE

AND KNOWING THAT BRETT CAN DO

THINGS HE SHOULDN'T BE ABLE TO

DO, I WOULD CONSIDER THAT

MIRACULOUS RECOVER RI.

DAVID AND PAM CONTINUE TO

MARVEL AT HOW HE CONTINUED TO

SURVIVE.

THEY FOUND CHUNKS OF BONE IN THE

YARD.

ON THE X-RAYS, THERE IS NO

MISSING BONE.

IT WAS A CLEAN BREAK THAT WENT

TOGETHER.

HIS FINGERS WOULD NEVER GROW ON

THE RIGHT HAND BECAUSE OF THE

GROWTH PLATE.

ONCE I POSTED THAT, PEOPLE

STARTED PRAYING, HIS FINGERS,

INDEX FINGER HAS GROWN A QUARTER

OF AN INCH.

HIS NERVE SEVERED IN THE LEFT

ARM AND WE WENT BACK FOR CHECK

UPS.

SHE STARTED NOTICING HE HAD

NERVE SENSATION BUILDING IN HIS

ARM.

EVERY TIME WE GO BACK, WE LOOK

FORWARD TO HOW MUCH MORE NERVE

SENSATION HAS HE GAINED.

BRETT WAS MATTER A FACT ABOUT

THE PROCESS, PERHAPS BECAUSE GOD

TOLD HIM A FEW THINGS.

THAT HE IS GOING TO PUT NEW

SKIN.

THAT HE FEELS GOING TO PROTECT

ME AND MAKE ME LIKE I WAS

SOMEONE THAT WAS ALWAYS WORKING.

BRETT TAUGHT US A LOT ABOUT

HOW TO GET OVER IT.

HE REFUSED TO HIDE THEM.

BRETT'S RECOVERY INCLUDED

CONFRONTATION TO THE MOWER.

HE HAD HIS MIND UP HE WAS

GOING TO RECOVER AND EVERYTHING

HE COULD TO MAKE LIFE AS IT WAS

BEFORE THE ACCIDENT.

TODAY BRETT IS A NORMAL ENER

ENERGETIC THING TO DO IS PLAY

WITH HIS DAD.

I PLAY

FOOTBALL,

LIKE TO RIDE

MY BIKE AND PLAY WITH HIM.

ME AND MY DAD LIKE TO PLAY

BASEBALL.

I CAN CATCH A BALL ON THE

GROUND.

I CAN TRY TO CATCH ONE IN THE

AIR.

THE CATTLEBERRIES HAVE

LEARNED A LOT ABOUT GOD THROUGH

THEIR EXPERIENCE AND TRUST GOD

WILL BRING YOU THROUGH.

HE MAY NOT KEEP SOMETHING

FROM HAPPENING, HE CAN BRING YOU

THROUGH WHATEVER HAPPENS.

IT HAS REALLY BUILT FAITH,

THE CHILD-LIKE FAITH.

I SEE THAT NOW.

A LOT OF TIMES I CAN GO TO

BRETT AND SAY MOM IS HAVING

A HARD DAY.

HE SAYS YOU NEED TO PRAY ABOUT IT.

THAT IS ALL YOU NEED THAT

CHILD-LIKE FAITH.