IN A BLINK OF AN EYE IT

TURNED INTO A NIGHTMARE.

THEY WERE PLAYING GAMES AND

TRICKS INTO THE POOL AND THE

SHALLOW END AND JOSIAH DECIDED

TO DIVE HEAD FIRST AND WENT

STRAIGHT DOWN AND IMPACT ON HIS

HEAD AND HE HAD NO FEELING.

HE CAME STRAIGHT UP AND I

COULD

TELL HE WAS HURT.

HE WAS ABLE TO REGAIN

MOVEMENT.

MY FRIEND'S MOM CALLED MY

MOM TO SAY THERE WAS AN

ACCIDENT.

WHEN YOU GET THE PHONE CALL

IT'S SOMETHING YOU NEVER WANT

TO

HEAR AS A PARENT AND WHEN IT'S

WHEN YOUR BABY YOUR HEART SINKS.

JANET'S HUSBAND WAS FLYING

WHEN SHE HEARD THE BAD NEWS AND

WHEN HE LANDED THE CELL PHONE

BLEW UP.

WHEN I HEARD THE INTENSITY

THE STRAIN IN HER VOICE I SENSE

TODAY WASN'T GOOD.

I COULD TELL BY HIS EYES.

HE WAS CRYING AND HE COULD

HARDLY MOVE. HE WAS VERY

AWKWARD HOW HE CARRIED HIMSELF

UNTIL WE GOT IN THE CAR AND

WENT

TO URGENT CARE. WITHIN FIVE

MINUTES HE WAS ON A STABILIZED

BOARD AND CONTACTED LIFE FLIGHT.

X-RAYS SHOWED THAT JOSIAH

BROKE FOUR VERTEBRAE IN HIS

NECK.

I WANT YOU TO PREPARE FOR

THE WORSE AND WE HAVE A SAYING

C4 BREATH NO MORE AND WHEN YOU

BREAK THE C4 THAT IS A 1% OF

SURVIVAL. I WANT YOU TO BE

PREPARED. WE'RE GOING TO DO OUR

BEST BUT BE PREPARED FOR THE

WORSE AND CALL YOUR FAMILY.

HE FRACTURED FOUR VERTEBRAE.

THE HOSPITAL IS ABOUT A 45

MINUTE DRIVE, COULD BE AN HOUR

WITH TRAFFIC AND HE MAY OR MAY

NOT BE OKAY WHEN YOU GET THERE.

THAT'S WHEN YOU PUT IT IN THE

HANDS OF GOD AND YOU LOOK AT

HIM

"BABY YOU'RE GOING TO BE OKAY".

JEANETTE WASN'T ALLOWED TO

JOIN JOSIAH ON THE FLIGHT. SHE

CALLED HER HUSBAND TO GIVE HIM

AN UPDATE.

SHE SAID THEY TOOK HIM AND

MY HEART SANK AND SHE SAID

THEY'RE GIVING HIM A 1% CHANCE

TO LIVE.

ONCE I CONTACTED THE

HOSPITAL AND I MADE A CALL TO

MY

FAMILY.

SO SO-CALLED FAMILY.

FAMILY

CALLED FRIENDS. FRIENDS CALLED

CHURCHES. A PRAYER CHAIN WAS

UNDER WAY.

I RECEIVED A CALL FROM DEAR

ER PASTOR FRIENDS AND SAID

HE'S GOING TO

DIE. YOUR BABY IS GOING TO BE

OKAY.

I WALKED OFF THE AIRPLANE AND

I PUT MY SUN GLASSES ON BECAUSE

I WAS EMBARRASSED OF PEOPLE

SEEING A GROWN MAN WEEP, FELL

TO

MY KNEES AND IT WAS TOTALLY

CROWDED AIRPORT, AND JUST FELL

TO MY KNEES AND STARTED

SCREAMING TO GOD. YOU COULD

HEAR THE CRIES OF

YOUR SPOUSE AND FAMILY BUT

YOU'RE HELPLESS TO DO ANYTHING.

I WOULD DIE FOR MY SONS. THERE

WAS THAT POINT AND GOD BREAK MY

NECK. CAN YOU WORK IT OUT TO

--

YOU COULD WORK IT OUT TO WHERE

IT'S ME YOU KNOW.

RICARDO CAUGHT THE FLIGHT

BACK TO ATLANTA. SHE RECEIVED

REPORTS.

THEY HAD THE X-RAYS AND WE

DON'T UNDERSTAND. THESE CAN'T

BE THE SAME X-RAYS AND WE WANT

YOU TO KNOW YOUR SON

GOING TO BE OKAY AND HE'S GOING

TO LIVE AND THAT WAS IMMINENT

AND I THINK THE X-RAYS WERE

DIFFERENT AND NOTHING BUT THE

HAND OF GOD. WE KNOW BEYOND A

SHADOW OF DOUBT IT WAS THE HAND

OF GOD THAT IT DIDN'T ACTUALLY

SEVER.

THEIR PLANS WERE ANSWERED.

JOSIAH NEEDED EIGHT HOURS OF

SURGERY WHICH WAS SUCCESSFUL

AND

STAYED IN THE HOSPITAL FOR

THREE

WEEKS.

WHEN WE BROUGHT HIM HOME

THE

ENTIRE NEIGHBORHOOD WAS ON THE

FRONT PORCH AND MADE SIGNS AND

BALLOONS AND SIGNED "MIRACLE

BOY

IS HOME" AND INUNDATED WITH

LOVE AND THEY WOULD CAMP OUT

AND

WATCH MOVIES WITH HIM AND BY

THE

TIME OF THE FIRST THERAPY

APPOINTMENT I CALLED THE DOCTOR

AND I DON'T THINK HE NEEDS TO

GO. HE'S DOING WELL AND WE SAW

THE DOCTOR AND I THINK YOU'RE

RIGHT AND WE DIDN'T NEED TO

ATTEND PHYSI THERAPY.

AND I HAD A 1% CHANCE OF

SURVIVAL AND IF THEY SAID IT'S

LUCK AND I EXPLAINED WHY IT'S

NOT LUCK. IT MAY BE THEIR

OPINION BUT IT'S NOT AN

OPINION.

IT'S A FACT AND WHAT GOD CAN DO.

JOSIAH IS ACTIVE 12 YEAR

OLD

AND LOVES TO PLAY BASKETBALL

BUT

THEY WILL NEVER FORGOT WHAT

HAPPENED.

WHEN JOSIAH GOT THE NECK

BRACE AFTER AND A FEW DAYS

AFTER

AND MICA WAS ASLEEP BUT JOSIAH

WAS CRYING AND ONE OF THOSE

HURT

CRIES AND I WAS BEFUDDLED AND I

ASKED JOSIAH WHAT'S THE MATTER?

AND HE TURNED ON THE BACK AND

LOOKS AT ME AND HIS FACE WAS

SOAKED WITH TEARS AND HE SAYS

"DAD I ALMOST DIED, AND I WAS

BLOWN AWAY, BUT AS I PUT MY

HAND

ON HIS HEAD I BEBEGAN TO MOVE

MY

HEAD ON HIS BACK AND AS SOON AS

I HIT THAT SCAR I KNEW WHAT I

WAS GOING TO SAY TO MY SON AND

SOMETHING ME WOULD REMEMBER THE

REST OF HIS LIFE AND I SAID

"JOSIAH YOU FEEL THIS SCAR AND

BABY YOUR SCAR DOESN'T REMIND

ME

OF DEATH. IT

REMINDS ME OF GOD'S GRACE AND

MERCY. YOU GOT THE SCAR WHEN

GOD PULLED YOU OUT. NEVER

AGAIN

LET THIS SCAR REMIND YOU OF

DEATH BUT GOD'S GRACE AND MERCY.