Submitted on June 29, 2020
At 3:10 AM on February 3rd, 2019, I accidently stepped into the stairwell in my home and fell down the stairs. This was a very serious accident and left me with many injuries and a long recovery. It has been fourteen months and I am still recovering. I was up late that night because I was helping my wife, Karon. She was bringing rolls to seminary in the morning. We had been in Bloomington at a missionary conference all day and didn’t have time to get them baked. Since they needed time to rise, I told her I would get up and take care of it for her so she wouldn’t have to get out of bed since she gets up at 5:00 am for seminary. When I took the last batch out of the oven at 3:00 AM, I turned out all the lights and started walking back to the bedroom. Walking past the stairwell, I turned a little too soon and stepped down into it. I was not able to catch myself and fell down fourteen stairs to the bottom. I didn’t roll. Based on my injuries and other evidence, it looks like I was in the air from the top of the stairs to the bottom. I hit my head and landed on my hands.
I don’t remember the actual fall but later I was able to remember the actual moment I realized I was not going to catch myself and the awful fear that came over me knowing I was going to fall. It was a feeling that I hope never to experience again.
Karon heard me when I landed at the bottom. She was asleep but knew immediately what had happened because of an experience she had recently had. She jumped out of bed and ran down the stairs and found me at the bottom, unresponsive, by a puddle of blood. She called 911 and the first responders were there in just a couple of minutes. My first memory was one of the first responders asking me if I knew where I was. I said, “I’m not sure but if I had to guess I’m at the bottom of the stairs in my house.”
After I was loaded into the ambulance I couldn’t see Karon and became very anxious. I asked if Karon was here and they told me yes and then I could hear her voice coming from the front saying she was here. Hearing her voice brought me great comfort. I don’t remember the ride to the hospital or being admitted to the hospital but I do remember being in a lot of pain because of my hands. I also don’t remember all that happened for the first few days while in the ICU.
There were two broken vertebrae in my neck. The neurosurgeons fused seven vertebrae so I now have limited range of motion. I had a brain bleed that stopped and went away on its own. I suffered severe vertigo for almost two months which cleared up on its own.
Both of my wrists were broken. Doctors used the analogy of dropping a china teacup and trying to put the pieces back together. Seven months after my accident the doctors determined that one of my wrists did not heal correctly so another operation was performed to rebuild it.
My left hand had significant nerve damage. When the cast came off, tests were conducted to determine the extent of the nerve damage. It was a very painful procedure. After one series of tests the nurse left and I waited while the doctor reviewed the results before the second series of testing began. Karon was not allowed to come into the room with me. As I lay there alone trying not to feel sad and sorry for myself, my thoughts turned to the Savior. I remembered that as part of the atonement, He has experienced my pain and fears and is always available to help me. A feeling of peace and calm came over me and I realized that I wasn’t alone. No matter what our personal tribulations may be, we always have access to the atonement of Jesus Christ and He will always be there to strengthen us. Following the example of Alma and his people, we can “cry mightily to God, submit cheerfully and with patience to the will of the Lord, and know of a surety that [God] will visit [His] people in their afflictions.” A nerve specialist operated on my left elbow and wrist to relieve pressure on the nerves.
More than one doctor has told me they are amazed and pleased with the degree of my recovery. I will never have what I had before my fall but I am humbled and grateful for what the Lord has given me. I didn’t die and I didn’t have any spinal column injuries. I was told on several occasions that my injuries were serious enough that either of those two outcomes were real possibilities.
Even though I don’t remember the actual fall, I do know that I was blessed with heavenly protection. The spiritual feelings I had and still have to this day are the strongest I have ever felt. I know that Heavenly Father knows and loves each of His children. I have seen His love manifest in my life to a degree that is so much more personal than other spiritual promptings I have had. I thank Him every morning and every night for this wonderful blessing and I ask Him what I need to learn from this experience.
When I read the scriptures certain verses jump out at me and the Spirit confirms principles that pertain to my accident and the protection He gave me. This has also happened with several hymns. Two in particular have touched me in a significant way.
Come Unto Jesus (Hymn 117: V3)
“…Oh, know ye not that angels are near you.”
How Firm A Foundation (Hymn 85: V3)
“Fear not, I am with thee, oh, be not dismayed,
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid.
I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand…”
I am grateful to my Father in Heaven and my Savior Jesus Christ for their love, kindness, and mercy. I am so very thankful for my wife, Karon, who cared for me with love and uncomplaining service. For months, I was completely dependent on her for everything until I could use my hands again and regain my balance. My family was a great source of strength and comfort. I am also thankful for all the prayers and fasting that were offered on my behalf. I know Heavenly Father heard and answered those prayers.
From Karon:
I did know immediately what had happened, even though I had been sound asleep because just a few days prior to John’s fall, our daughter-in-law had fallen at the top of her stairs while holding her two-year-old son and slid down the stairs. The sound of her fall is what I heard when John fell and I knew he’d fallen down our stairs. I went immediately to find him unresponsive at the bottom of the stairs. I prayed vocally as I tried to call 911. I didn’t need to say many words in prayer. I knew Heavenly Father was aware of us and would respond. As we drove away in the ambulance, I felt comforted by the knowledge that John had been doing the Lord’s work and was worthy of needed blessings. I felt at peace. I didn’t know at this time the severity of John’s injuries. Even in these circumstances, I felt joy when our sons showed up to give him a priesthood blessing. We were united in our faith and we were experiencing service from our children in new ways. I found scriptures that were directly applicable to our situation which gave me comfort.
2 Nephi 32:3 …feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.
I knew from gospel principles and the scriptures how to handle this situation. This knowledge provided direction and comfort.
D&C 121:7 My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;
2 Nephi 2:2…thou knowest the greatness of God; and he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain.
D&C 82: 9-10 Or, in other words, I give unto you direction how you may act before me, that it may turn to you for your salvation. 10. I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise.
This is the scripture that truly touched me when I read it later. I had not appreciated it before, but now it articulated a feeling I had experienced. I know that John has experienced this much more deeply.
2 Nephi 1:15…I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love.
We have felt the love of God. I feel a renewed desire to feast upon His words and follow his path because I love and trust Him.